Nigeria hope to take a team of 100 to the postponed Summer World University Games in Chengdu this July ©NUGA

The Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) is hoping to take a team of 100 to the Summer World University Games in Chengdu this July, they have revealed.

They expect to compete in athletics swimming, badminton, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, and tennis.

"This is indeed a great opportunity for Nigerian students to showcase talents on a global stage and bring glory to the nation," NUGA acting general secretary Chidiebere Ezeani said.

NUGA has also appointed Red Sapphire and Integrated Marketing Communications to secure sponsorship and partners to provide financial support for the team travelling to China.

Red Sapphire chief executive Ono Akpe has visited the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities CVCNU), an association of 221 educational institutions to discuss preparations for the Summer World University Games.

They met at a gathering in Abuja hosted by  China’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, about the event due to open on July 28 and close on August 8 having been postponed from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CVCNU secretary general Yakubu Ochefu is hoping to establish inter-university exchanges and partnerships between Nigerian universities and their counterparts in China.

Visa problems prevented Nigerian competitors competing at the last Summer Universiade held four years ago in Naples.

Nigerian athletes this summer will hope to emulate Olabisi Afolabi, winner of the women's 400m at the 1995 Summer Universiade in Fukuoka ©Getty Images
Nigerian athletes this summer will hope to emulate Olabisi Afolabi, winner of the women's 400m at the 1995 Summer Universiade in Fukuoka ©Getty Images

All of Nigeria’s gold medals at the University Games have been in athletics.

Their best performance was at the 1983 Summer Universiade in Edmonton when they finished third on the athletics medal behind the Soviet Union and United States with five gold medals.

Their total included victories in the men's 100 metres, 200m and 400m for Chidi Imoh, Innocent Egbunike and Sunday Uti, respectively.

Nigerians also won the men's long jump and triple jump thanks to Yusuf Alli and Ajayi Agbebaku.

Imoh won the men’s 100 metres at Kobe in 1985, while Egbunike stepped up to succeed Uti as 400m champion. 

Olabisi Afolabi's victory in the 400m at Fukuoka 1995 was the first by a Nigerian woman at the World University Games.

Nigeria have not won a gold since Angela Atede won the women’s 100m hurdles and Clement Chukwu took men’s 400m gold at the 1997 Universiade in Catania.