NSC Hails Nigeria Women’s Beach Volleyball Team, Announces Immediate Elite Grant Support
Oru Leonard
The National Sports Commission (NSC), Abuja has congratulated Nigeria’s Women’s Beach Volleyball team for securing Africa’s sole qualification ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The Director General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, announced that the team would be immediately integrated into the training grant programme of the Elite and Podium Board following their historic achievement at the African Beach Volleyball Championship in Alexandria, Egypt.
The Nigerian pair of Esther Onyinye Mbah and Pamela Miyoum Bawa defeated Morocco 2-0 in the final to emerge continental champions and secure Nigeria’s return to the Olympic Beach Volleyball competition.
Olopade said the qualification was a significant milestone for Nigerian sports and a reflection of the impact of ongoing reforms aimed at creating opportunities for athletes across different sporting disciplines to excel at the highest level.
“On behalf of the Chairman of the NSC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, I want to commend the progressive impact the board of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation has been making, both with the domestic league and the national teams,” Olopade said.
He said the impressive performance of the Women’s Beach Volleyball team in recent competitions had demonstrated their potential to succeed on the global stage.
“The Nigeria Women’s Beach Volleyball team has been making giant strides in recent times, and the NSC is determined to ensure the team receives the highest level of high-performance preparation ahead of the Olympic Games,” he added.
According to him, the decision to immediately integrate the athletes into the Elite and Podium Board programme would enable them to access the training grants instituted by the NSC last year.
The Nigerian duo recorded an impressive campaign in Alexandria, defeating hosts Egypt in the Round of 16 before overcoming Morocco in the quarter-finals and repeating the feat in the final to claim the African title.
The achievement gives Nigeria an important opportunity to prepare adequately for Los Angeles 2028 under the NSC’s high-performance support structure.
The Commission said the immediate inclusion of the athletes in the Elite and Podium Board training grant programme underscored its commitment to identifying, supporting and rewarding athletes and teams with the potential to deliver medals and other successes for Nigeria at major international competitions.
The historic qualification has also placed Nigeria among the early African contenders to watch in Beach Volleyball ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
(NSC MEDIA, August 23, 2026)
