Major sporting events across the globe provide athletes the opportunity to launch themselves into the reckoning. From the All-Africa Games to the Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and the Olympics Games, most athletes go the extra mile to prepare themselves with the hope of not only winning medals for their countries but also booking their slots in history books as record breakers.
Among them are Akinbode, who got a gold medal in shot put T37-37; Latifat Tijani (powerlifting 45kg category), Isau Ogunkunle (table tennis 4-5class), Kafayat Olaitan (table tennis class 9), Dauda Ibrahim (59kg class), Yakub Adesokan (49kg class para powerlifting), and Hakeem Rasaq (F40 para athletics).
The Head of Public Relations/Information of Ogun Sports Council, Bola Giwa, told The Guardian that para-athletes are examples of irrepressible spirit, gender equality and sports excellence. “The real challenge associated with disability in Nigeria is not a physical disability in itself, but the retinue of unfavorable societal response or attitude towards disability,” she said.
She continues: “We should stop the stigmatisation of people with special needs in all spheres of life if we must be counted among developed and developing nations, where physical disability does not impair the ability of people.