NRCSF Stages Trials to Kickstart Olympic Qualification Drive

The Rowing, Canoeing, and Sailing Federation of Nigeria (NRCSF) is taking a major step towards Olympic qualification by staging the National Time Trials in Abuja. The two-day event aims to discover and prepare elite athletes for global success.

Speaking at the inaugural Canoe Sprint National Time Trials, the President of the Federation, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to grassroots talent development and international competitiveness.

He described the event as a strategic platform to identify, nurture, and select Nigeria’s finest athletes for global competitions, including the Olympic Games.

“When this board was inaugurated, we did promise that we would take up from the success of the last administration and I’m happy that this is taking place today. This is a time trial for athletes to ensure that we have adequate representation across the states.

And today, I’m very happy that we are doing this. We have five states participating in today’s event. It’s a time trial to ensure that our athletes are not left out in whatever form.

We want to develop talents across the states. We want to ensure that the good talent who are highly skilled, are the one that we present for international competition. And that is the essence of this one we are doing today.”

Ogunbiyi, also stated that the event is giving athletes from across the country an equal opportunity to compete and showcase their abilities.

“In the last 15 years, we have been trying to promote this sport across the states. We’ve been trying very hard. We have bodies of water across the six geographical zones and we have a representation across the six geographical zones. This is what we are saying now, it’s efforts that we are making to ensure we don’t just create awareness of the sport. People cannot see that the sport is developing and we are taking it to their respective states.

We have three events taking place, the 200 metres, the 500 metres and the 1000 metres. This board is serious about taking the sport further within Nigeria and of course within the international community.”

While the Secretary-General of the NRCSF, Olubumni Ola Oluode, described the trials as a landmark initiative to elevate Nigerian athletes to world-class standards.

She highlighted that, for the first time, competitors are using internationally certified fiberglass boats—equipment typically reserved for global championships and the Olympics—made possible through collaboration with the National Sports Commission and international partners.

Over 70 athletes took part in the two-day competition, which featured 200m, 500m, and 1000m races hosted by NRCSF.