‘We want to reclaim world para-powerlifting top spot’

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 was a great day for Nigeria Powerlifting President, Chiemeka Charles Ezenwanne. It was a day one of his federation’s major sponsors, Peak Milk, chose to host his athletes and reward them for doing the country proud at the just-concluded Paris 2024 Paralympics. It was also a day his federation showed Nigerians that they are grateful for the encomiums and love the country bestowed on the athletes before and after the Games in France.

Savouring the joy in his athletes, who got monetary rewards ranging from N1 million to N2 million from Peak Milk for their efforts in Paris, Ezenwanne could not help but look at the future with a promise that powerlifters would continue to win laurels for the country.

Specifically, he promised that the powerlifters will fight to reclaim their number one position in the world from China if they get the required support from corporate Nigeria.

He told The Guardian at the reception held in the Ikeja, Lagos office of FrieslandCampina, makers of Peak Milk, that Nigeria would have won more than the two gold medals it got in Paris if the team had gone with the full complement of its squad.

He said: “If we had our full team in Paris, we would have won more than 25 gold medals. China topped the medals table because they went with more than 26 athletes. The Chinese lacked nothing. They are the number one in the world because they attend all the competitions and get many medals. But it is not so with us.
“To take an athlete to a major competition, you need more than N8 million for his accommodation, registration, flight ticket, medicals and other logistics. So, we do not have that kind of resources to take every athlete capable of winning a gold medal to major events.”

Ezenwa