Nigeria has become the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to hoist its flag at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea.
According to feature writer, Michael Houston, Jamaica buried tradition in bobsleigh, while Australian Steven Bradbury’s short track speed skating Olympic gold still remains one of the best acts in winter sport history.
Joining a list of pioneers is Nigeria, a nation that spends January in high heats that European cities can only afford in the summer.
In 2018, the West African country became the first African member of World Curling, followed by Kenya in 2021. Their admission was part of the reason why the Pan Continental Curling Championships was created, replacing the Pacific Asia Curling Championships and Americas Challenger respectively.
Still in its curling infancy, Nigeria qualified for the Winter Youth Olympic Games, taking place from January 19 to February 1 in Gangwon, Korea.
Roy Daniel will play on the self-funded rink in the Mixed Doubles competition, following in the footsteps of his father, Damola Daniel, who competed at the World Senior Curling Championships in 2022 and now acts as the President of the Nigeria Curling Federation.
Jasmine Oku, Roy’s cousin, is also part of the mixed team for Gangwon. The squad trains back in their home country, while Daniel stays in Germany with his family.
However, only Roy has regular access to curling ice, while plans to create a dedicated facility in Nigeria have stalled due to rising costs caused by inflation. It means the team mostly train via floor curling.
“We had a lot of challenges like preparing ourselves and training since we don’t have ice in our country,” Roy Daniel told Michael Houston.
“But the Games are going to be very exciting.”
Despite the geographical distance, the team chemistry is very apparent. Social media keeps the young players like a family with an active group chat where they speak about much more than just what they do on the ice. Sport and movies seem to be the binding topics of discussion that ensure they are not just teammates, but friends too.
Much like other developing curling nations, the greatest challenge is giving the players ice time in a country without ice. Opposing teams in Gangwon will have access to curling ice regularly, giving a training advantage from the start. While still working to get proper funding, the team’s reliance on being self-sustainable makes their journey to Korea one of the most impressive.
“Now we are training with the floor curling equipment,” added Damola Daniel, Nigeria Curling Federation President.
“The kids were supposed to be on ice, perfecting their sliding, delivery, sweeping and the rest.
“Instead, we are now using floor curling equipment to learn how to sweep.”
“In Nigeria we have a saying which means whichever situation we find ourselves in, we can adapt in any field of life,” he added.
“So, we know that preparation is key, but getting into the main game is another ballgame.”
Defining success for this team will be difficult as it is an achievement just making it to Gangwon, but surprises can never be ruled out and Roy is focused on winning as many matches as possible.
“I hope we’ll do well since we haven’t played that much,” he said.
“So, we’ll do decently, maybe win a few games and to hear our national anthem, it’s going to be a good feeling while holding the flag.”
Arise, O Compatriots will soon play across the venue, and the future stars of Nigeria will be serving with heart and might.
Written by Michael Houston