The President of the Fencing Federation of Nigeria, Adeyinka Samuel is relishing the country’s successful hosting of this year’s Commonwealth championship, which he said ended in Lagos without any hitches, after six days of intense competition involving 20 countries.
Sports247 reports further that Samuel was also excited that Nigeria – with a haul of 24 medals (one gold, five silver and 18 bronze) – emerged as the best African nation, and third team overall, at the competition – officially tagged 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championship.
A major highlight of the championship was when 17-year-old Oghenegaren Osievwa-Thompson became the first Nigerian to win an international gold medal in fencing, which Samuel also celebrated, while noting that the team’s overall performance was a significant step for the country’s fencing programme.
He added that the results in Lagos provide further evidence of the growing emphasis on identifying, rewarding and nurturing athletes with the potential to deliver international success for Nigeria, with the outcome reflecting giant strides that have been taken after more than a year of preparations.
Samuel submitted that the successful championship also reinforced Nigeria’s growing capacity to host major international sporting events, especially as it provided a platform for fencers from across the Commonwealth to compete at the highest level in a complex international sporting event.
“We planned and prepared for over a year, and we’re very happy to have hosted excellently. It’s a complex competition to host and there were concerns, but we addressed it all, one at a time,” Samuel submitted excitedly, while also thanking the National Sports Commission (NSC) for its support.
