GIWA SEKINAT OLAYINKA
Team Nigeria has arrived in Lohja, Finland to compete in the World Junior-B Curling Championships scheduled to take place from December 8- 19, 2022.
The Nigeria Junior Curling team to Finland is made up of 11 junior curlers (five boys and six girls) who travelled in the company of two officials of the curling Federation.
Those to fly Nigeria’s Green and White colours in Finland are; Danmola Adedamola, Chukwuemeka Daniel, Charles Idongesit, Umoren Aniedi and Kamsiyochukwu Emmanuel Dike. Others are Oku Jasmine, Uchegbu Nelly, Oku Olamide, Uchegbu Gift, Kalejaiye Deborah and Oluwanimifise Wale-Adeogun.
The Federation’s Youth Directors Charles Neimeth, Scott Hill and Lyne Laganiere will also be joining the team in Finland to offer the needed support.
Before departing from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja en route for France to Finland, the Nigerian contingent expressed great optimism even as they promised to be good ambassadors of the country.
Team Nigeria will be competing against 21 other countries in the male category and 24 other teams in the female category as they officially begin their qualification quest for the 2024 Youth Winter Olympics billed to take place in Gangwon Province, South Korea.
The Boys’ team will begin their campaign on Thursday, December 8th with opening-day games against Latvia and Australia.
The Nigeria boys will thereafter face Italy and Spain on Friday before battling Hungary and Poland on the third day of action.
The women’s competition begins on Thursday 15 December after the conclusion of the men’s event.
According to the organisers, all medal-winning teams will secure qualification for the World Junior Curling Championships 2023 to be held in Fuessen, Germany from February to March 2023.
Having worked hard in the past months with the resources at his disposal, Daniel Damola, President of the Nigeria Curling Federation, believes the country will do well in Finland.
“This is a very young team of boys and girls from ages 10 to 19. They have trained so hard and it is now time to expose them to real ice because the curling game is played on ice slides.
“I’m optimistic that soon, this young team will put themselves on the world map”.
Apart from Nigeria, Kenya is the only other African country that will be competing in Finland.