The Black Stallions, the national rugby squad of Nigeria, have been put in a precarious pool in an effort to make the Paris, France, Olympic Games in 2024.
The majority of the events will be held at the 80,698-seat Stade de France, France’s national stadium, during the Olympics, which will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
Nigeria was drawn to play world number 21 Namibia and world number 33 Kenya, according to a statement made on Sunday by Tony Nezianya, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).
Following the draw for the matches announced by Rugby Afrique for the competition, Nigeria’s Black Stallions, ranked 69 in the world, will also play Zambia, ranked 68 in the World Rugby rankings.
If Nigeria’s rugby squad qualify for the Africa qualifications, which would take place in Zimbabwe on September 16 and 17, it would mark the country’s first Olympic rugby appearance.
On September 16, the Black Stallions will likely play the Shujas of Kenya, one of the best powerhouses in African rugby, before playing Zambia and the Welwitschias of Namibia.
The Black Stallions came in second place at the pre-Olympic qualifications in Mauritius earlier in the year, where they fell to Algeria in the championship match.
The team defeated Ghana 24-7 in the first round, followed by victories over Burundi 43-14 and Congo 43-0 in the remaining group matches before falling to Algeria 24-5 in the championship game.
To get to the semi-finals, the team led by Coach Steve Lewis thrashed Botswana 33-5. There, they faced a fiercely competitive Cote D’Ivoire team, who fell to them 20-12.
The Kenya rugby sevens squad, often referred to as Shujaa—a Swahili word that denotes valour, courage, or heroism—will be going for their third consecutive appearance in the Olympics.
Namibia, which placed sixth in the last qualifiers, is looking to perform better this time around, and Zambia is hoping to awaken from its slumber and turn the tables.
After startling the world in 2014 by qualifying for the Commonwealth games in Glasgow, Scotland under the direction of Steve Lewis, Nigeria’s Black Stallions are seeking to compete in the Olympics. (NAN
