By Aderonke Ojo
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has applauded athletes, organisers and officials for the successful hosting of the 2026 African Track Cycling Championships and African Para-Cycling Championships in Abuja.
The championships, which began on May 11, concluded on Sunday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Velodrome, Package A, with cyclists from eight African nations competing for honours.
The event featured the 12th edition of the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC) Track Cycling Championships and the 3rd CAC Para-Cycling Championships.
A total of 125 medals were won during the championships, comprising 44 gold, 43 silver and 38 bronze medals.
In the CAC Track Cycling Championships, South Africa emerged overall winners after finishing top of the medal table with 22 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze medals.
Egypt finished second with 10 gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals, while host nation Nigeria secured third place with nine gold, nine silver and 11 bronze medals.
Algeria finished fourth with three gold, 13 silver and six bronze medals, while Benin Republic rounded off the top five with two silver and one bronze medal.
Earlier, Nigeria delivered an impressive performance at the 3rd CAC Para-Cycling Championships held from May 9 to May 11 in Abuja, finishing top of the medal table with nine gold, five silver and two bronze medals.
Egypt placed second with five gold, six silver and three bronze medals, while Kenya came third with five gold, one silver and three bronze medals. South Africa finished fourth with three gold and one bronze medal, while Algeria completed the top five standings with two silver medals.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, Dikko described every athlete who participated in the championships as a winner, praising their resilience, dedication and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
“To all the cyclists who participated in the championships, I would like to say that everyone is a winner,” he said.
He also congratulated Team Nigeria athletes for their strong performances and expressed optimism that they would continue to achieve greater success in future international competitions.
“On behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, I thank you all for your participation, your dedication and for making this competition a success,” Dikko stated.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN), Joel Akinluwa, described the championships as highly successful despite minor organisational challenges.
According to Akinluwa, officials from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and CAC commended Nigeria for its improved hosting standards and smooth organisation of the continental event.
“With the support of the NSC, we were able to successfully host the games, and overall, it was a success,” he said.
He noted that this was the third time Nigeria hosted the championships, adding that many participating countries considered the 2026 edition an improvement on previous tournaments.
Akinluwa also praised the NSC for ensuring that facilities, logistics, safety and medical arrangements were fully in place before the competition, helping organisers avoid casualties recorded in previous editions.
Technical Director of the CFN, Mohammed Bashir, also described Team Nigeria’s performance as impressive despite missing out on the overall title.
According to Bashir, Nigeria strategically focused on events where the country had stronger medal prospects and did not participate in some races, including the Omnium and certain men’s events.
He added that hosting the championships created fresh opportunities for cycling development in Nigeria, especially among young people and schools in Abuja that are now showing growing interest in the sport.
Bashir explained that staging the event in Nigeria also allowed the country to field more cyclists than would have been possible if the competition had been hosted abroad due to travel costs.
He further revealed that several new talents and African champions emerged during the championships, describing the tournament as an important platform for talent discovery and development.
Bashir singled out Osaretin Godwin for her outstanding performance and celebrated Nigeria’s first-ever medal in a track event, as well as the men’s elite team sprint victory that secured qualification for the World Championship.
Participating countries at the championships included Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Benin Republic and host nation Nigeria.
