Nigeria is setting its sights on the podium as a 46-member delegation—comprising 35 athletes and 11 officials—heads to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games.
The competition, scheduled from 7 to 21 November, will feature athletes from 57 nations, including 27 African countries, battling for honours across 21 sports at nine vibrant venues.
Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Bukola Olopade, described Nigeria’s participation as a strategic step toward greater Olympic success.
“The Islamic Solidarity Games represent a great opportunity for Nigeria to showcase our talent on the global stage. This is a stepping stone toward Los Angeles 2028, and our athletes are ready to shine,” he affirmed.
Nigeria will compete in seven disciplines: Athletics, Boxing, Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, and Wrestling.
Beyond medal ambitions, the Games will also serve as a testing ground for logistics and organizational efficiency ahead of the 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu State.
Historically, Nigeria has earned 11 medals at the Games—3 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze—and hopes to surpass that tally in Riyadh.
Across the continent, Algeria leads Africa’s charge with 117 athletes, followed by Egypt’s 101 and Morocco’s 82, while Mali sends just two competitors.
Nigeria’s neighbours—Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Republic—will also feature, with Cameroon’s 51-member team being the largest among them.
Morocco, a powerhouse at the 2022 edition in Konya, Türkiye, where it won 15 gold, 13 silver, and 34 bronze medals, aims to replicate that success.
At their send-forth on 26 October 2025, the country’s Olympic Committee urged its athletes to “chase excellence, embody unity, and bring home the glory.”
In total, 3,500 athletes will illuminate Riyadh with passion, purpose, and the spirit of solidarity as they compete for pride, medals, and history.
Reporting by Kelechi Bernard