Commonwealth Games: Team Nigeria departs Aberdeen for Glasgow News

The first batch of Team Nigeria athletes and officials departs their pre-Games training camp in Aberdeen, Scotland, for the host city of Glasgow today, with only three days remaining before the start of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

A second batch will move into the Games Village on Friday, July 24, joining teammates already on ground for the opening days of competition.

The phased movement follows weeks of intensive training and acclimatisation in Aberdeen, where Team Nigeria has fine-tuned preparations for one of the Commonwealth’s biggest sporting events, with the National Sports Commission providing technical, medical and welfare support to ensure the contingent arrives in Glasgow in peak condition.

Sprinter Favour Ashe has praised the Commission for the quality of the camp, revealing that allowances had been paid in full ahead of the Games. “The camp has been excellent.

Our allowances have been paid in full, the facilities are world-class, and the feeding is of a very high standard. The National Sports Commission has done a fantastic job in ensuring we have everything we need to prepare for the Commonwealth Games,” Ashe said, adding that the arrangements had allowed athletes to focus solely on their preparations without the distraction of unresolved welfare issues.

Former World and Olympic wrestling champion Daniel Igali echoed similar sentiments in an earlier interview, commending the NSC leadership.

Team Nigeria’s medal hopes have been boosted by strong recent continental and international form, headlined by world record holder Tobi Amusan, who joined the Aberdeen camp last week after a consistent Diamond League campaign that has already secured her a place in the season-ending final in Brussels, Belgium.

Amusan, aged 29, is targeting a third consecutive Commonwealth 100m hurdles title having won gold in 2018 and 2022, and enters Glasgow as favourite after defending her African title in Ghana earlier this year and clocking a season’s best of 12.28sec on three occasions.

Nigeria’s preparations, however, suffered a setback with the withdrawal through injury of long jump star Ese Brume, ending her bid to defend the title she won at the previous Games with a Games record leap of 7.00m. Ruth Usoro has been drafted into the squad in her place and will compete alongside Prestina Ochonogor in the women’s long jump.