“I am very excited leaving Wrestling better than I met it” – Igali

Oru Leonard 

Mr. Daniel Igali, the former President of the Wrestling Federation, has shared his excitement on leaving the sport of wrestling better than when he took over the mantle of leadership.

He stated this on the sideline of the elections and inauguration of some federations’ new leadership during an interview with African Independent Television (AIT) correspondent this past weekend, at Moshood Abiola National stadium Abuja.

“Before I became President, we hadn’t won any World Medals-neither for our male nor female wrestlers. But, during my time, we celebrated some great achievements including winning five World Championship Medals and multiple Gold Medals in the Commonwealth Games.

“Over the last 12 years, we have even captured eight Commonwealth Games Gold Medals. I cannot even keep track of how many African titles we have accumulated-over200 Gold Medals, to be exact”. IGALI said.

According to him, that It has been so rewarding to see wrestling gaining spotlight; and now when the Games are on, it is one of the sports that brings home medals especially during the Olympics.

Igali expressed his pride in the progress he and his team have made, by elevating the Wrestling Federation to a new greater heights.

He is visibly so excited to pass a solid foundation to the incoming President, Bashir Adeniyi, the Comptroller General of Customs.

While there is much work ahead, Igali pledged his unwavering support to the new fighters and remarked,
” We have some great talents to build upon. Currently, our top athletes have collectively won over 30 African gold medals, an Olympic silver, and several World Championships titles, but many of them are now retired.

“So, it is time to focus on rebuilding the team with careful planning, diligent dedication and constant emphasis on training, we can get back to our peak of performance, he added.

Mr. Daniel went further to iterate that, the good news is that we have the right materials to work with and a reputation to uphold. He explained that there are 6-8 athletes who already have a solid foundation; and with the right guidance, I believe they can soar to incredible heights.
” With focused training over the next four to six years, they will be ready to compete for medals at World events”, he noted.

Igali lauds the incoming President, “I am really optimistic about the new President. It is not every day you see someone as accomplished as the Comptroller General of Customs stepping out to lead the Wrestling community.

“It really shows how committed he is to helping sports grow in Nigeria. With his passion and leadership, I believe we are on the brink of exciting changes that will take the Wrestling Federation to new levels “, he enthused.

(Patricia Nnandi, NSC MEDIA)