President of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), Dr Ibrahim Alaid Abdul, has expressed profound appreciation to key stakeholders for their unwavering support, following what he described as an unprecedented year of success for the sport in 2025.

 

In a New Year message signed by the federation’s Media Officer, Mr Amaechi Agbo, Dr Abdul thanked the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), the media, board members, coaches, referees and athletes for their collective contributions, which he said propelled Nigerian weightlifting to new heights on the regional, continental and global stages.

 

“I want to, first and foremost, thank the Almighty God for granting us the grace to see the New Year 2026,” Dr Abdul said. “The year 2025 was a good one for us in the weightlifting family because we invested a lot and had good rewards.”

 

According to him, Nigerian weightlifters featured in several major competitions across the world, consistently flying the nation’s flag high. The highlight of the year was Nigeria’s emergence as overall champions at the Senior African Weightlifting Championships held in Mauritius from April 20 to 28, where the team topped the medals table with 10 gold, four silver and one bronze medal.

 

The federation’s medal haul continued to grow at the Africa Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Accra, Ghana, held from August 15 to 23, where Nigeria secured nine gold medals. This was followed by a strong showing at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in India between August 24 and 30, with Nigerian lifters winning four gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

 

At the regional level, Nigeria dominated the 2025 Zone 2 West Africa Games in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from October 12 to 19, winning nine gold medals. On the global stage, the country also claimed a silver medal at the Senior World Weightlifting Championships held in Forde, Norway, from October 2 to 11.

 

Further success came at the 6th Islamic Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 8 to 12, where the Nigerian contingent returned with 13 medals comprising six gold, four silver and three bronze. The year ended on a high note at the 4th Africa Youth Games in Luanda, Angola, where young Nigerian lifters dominated the competition with 11 gold medals and one silver.

 

In total, the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation amassed an impressive 49 gold, 14 silver and seven bronze medals across seven regional, continental and international competitions in 2025.

 

Beyond competition, the federation also focused on development, organizing a 10-day capacity-building training programme for athletes and coaches. The programme, which involved 22 athletes and eight coaches, was coordinated by Austria-based weightlifting expert Maged Salama and received commendation from the NSC.

 

Another landmark achievement for the federation was the conduct of what was described as the freest and most peaceful sports federation election in the country. The NWF election, held on August 16, saw Dr Abdul re-elected as president to steer the affairs of the federation for another four-year term.

 

Reflecting on the year, Dr Abdul credited the federation’s success to collective effort and strong institutional backing.

 

“We did a lot and we could not have achieved these without the massive support of the stakeholders,” he said. “As the year 2026 unfolds, we are determined to conquer the world. We have shown our superiority in Africa, and we need to take it further. In the coming days, we will unveil our plans and activities for the year to the media.”