18 Nigerian powerlifters qualify for 2016 Paralympics in Brazil

The Nigeria Para-Powerlifting Federation on Monday said 18 Nigerian athletes have qualified for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil.
The Games hold from September 7 to 18 in the South American nation.
The federation’s Secretary, Dapo Akinyele, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the athletes qualified from competitions that served as qualifiers for the Games.
Akinyele said: “Some of our athletes just came back from a competition, which served as qualifier in Malaysia, and this has increased the number of qualified athletes to 18.
“The number may likely increase to 19.
“One of our athletes missed world championships, but we have written to the world body because the athlete attended other qualifiers.
“We hope to get a good response with regards to the issue because he is one of our medals hopeful.”
The scribe also disclosed that two of its coaches also attended a coaching course in Malaysia.
In the same vein, Are Feyisetan, head coach of the federation, told NAN that 16 athletes would eventually be selected from the set of athletes that have qualified.
Feyisetan told NAN that the selection would be strictly based on merit to ensure that the country performed creditably at the quadrennial Games.
“We are the best in powerlifting in the world and we want to continue to retain that status, so we are taking the best of the bests to the Games.”
Feyisetan stressed that if the federation could arrange for early camping and training tours for the athletes, they were bound to perform well at the Paralympics.
NAN reports that Nigeria won six gold, five bronze and two silver medals at the 2012 Paralympics in London.
NAN.