Director-general of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Bukola Olopade has praised what he referred to as ‘deliberate planning’ and ‘proper support system’ in place at Nigeria Badminton Federation (BFN).
Sports247 reports that Olopade stated as much in reaction to the historic emergence of Nigeria’s foremost para-badminton player, Eniola Mariam Bolaji as world number one in the Women’s SL3 category.
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Bolaji soared up the global rankings with 63,950 points, to take over top spot from Indonesia’s Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh, after winning a silver medal at the recent World Para-Badminton Championship.
Qualifying for the competition’s ultimate game in her category also made Bolaji the first African athlete to play a final at the World Para-Badminton Championships.
A press release signed by Olopade’s special assistant media, Kola Daniel revealed that the ‘DG’ also commended the BFN for its strategic development of badminton and its dedication to athletes’ welfare.
The director-general added, “Eniola’s achievement reflects deliberate planning, proper support, and a merit-driven system. We congratulate her and the Badminton Federation for creating an enabling environment for her success.”
Sports247 recalls that Bolaji earlier made hidtory at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, where she won a bronze medal.
That feat in the women’s singles SL3 category made her the first African athlete to win a medal in para-badminton at either the Olympic Games or Paralympics.
