Nigeria’s Women’s Bobsled Team is the first African team to qualify for Winter Olympics

The Nigerian Women’s Bobsled team made up of Bobsled pilot Seun Adigun, and brakemen Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga, will be the first African team to be at a Winter Olympics. They will be at the 2018 Winter Olympics taking place in PyeongChang, South Korea in February 2018.

The team completed the fifth of their required five qualifying races on Wednesday, to qualify in the Bobsled category.

The team established a crowdfunding website in November 2016 to raise $75,000 to get to PyeongChang. Upon discovering the page, Visa was inspired by their story and determination and pledged to help solidify the team’s trip to the Olympic Winter Games.

What is amazing is that it does not snow Nigeria but these ladies Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga, created a team to represent Nigeria and trained outside Nigeria.

Seun Adigun says she “was inspired to start the Nigerian Women’s Bobsled team in hopes of being the first ever African representative, men or women, to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games in the sport of Bobsled.”

“This is a huge milestone for sports in Nigeria,” driver Adigun told KweséESPN. “Nothing makes me prouder than to know that I can play a small role in creating opportunities for winter sports to take place in Nigeria.

“Our objective now is to be the best representation of Africa that the Winter Olympics have ever witnessed.”

Solomon Ogba, President of the Bobsled and Skeleton Federation of Nigeria, was understandably thrilled at the achievement, saying via a media statement: “I commend the personal dedication and commitment of these women.

“Their hard work was inspiring and I hope Nigerians can appreciate what it took for them to achieve this – the work, the discipline, and the personal sacrifices. They were amazing throughout this journey.

“They are all very successful people in their own right – in sports and out of it, and somehow they are still motivated and still push for more success.

“I have watched them train and work hard to represent Nigeria at the Winter Olympics in a very technical and high risk sport and they have achieved that. They should be very proud, and I am very proud of them.”

Congrats again!!