Bayero University Kano aims for gold at WAUG 2023, demands fair play from organisers
(Ile-Ife, Made In Africa Sport) – The Bayero University Kano (BUK) contingent is among the athletes vying for glory at the ongoing West African University Games (WAUG 2023) in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Made In Africa Sport reports that the 15th edition of the continental event, featuring over 20 institutions, kicked off on Monday, 18 December 2023, with competitions limited to four Olympic sports: Tennis, Athletics, Table Tennis, and Basketball (3×3).
BUK arrived in OAU with 14 student athletes ready to compete in both male and female categories. Their roster boasts talented individuals across various disciplines, including:
- Table Tennis: Abdulbaki Yunusa (M) and Patience Mbaka (F)
- Tennis: Dominic Amadu (M) and Muhammed Imam (M)
- Athletics: Mustapha Alhassan (M) and Jamal Suleiman (M)
- Basketball (M): Saeed Mohammed, Ahmed Umar, Samuel Ojobo, and Enyo Abubakar Muhammad
- Basketball (F): Cherry Ngumimi Chaghshor, Princess Zaki, Eunice Idowu, and Theresa David
The team is accompanied by a strong support crew, including five coaches, a medical team, the BUK Director of Sports, Prof. Rabiu Muhammed, the BUK chairman of sports council, Prof. Yakasai, and the BUK Students Union Sports Director, Teniola Nafisat Balogun.
Target and potential
In an interview with Made In Africa Sport, Balogun, who led the BUK team to OAU, expressed their high aspirations for the games:
“Like any other institution that is participating in this WAUG, the target is to get gold medals. Since we have athletes competing in all categories, we hope we can clinch the top spots in each of those categories.”
Balogun believes BUK’s rigorous preparation and unwavering support from the school management position them for a potential first-place finish:
“I think with the level of preparation our athletes and the school management have put in, the respectable position for us would be first.”
“Our athletes have put in a lot of work in this, they’ve been training hard for so long, we’ve had mini competitions just to get us prepared for this and also the management has been very supportive of this whole movement.”
“So I believe with all of that we are mentally prepared being in that competition spirit for a while now, all we need is opportunity to perform,” she said.
However, she expressed some concerns regarding the organisation of the event.
“I am already a little bit disappointed on the level of preparation on the organisers’ side,” Balogun said. “The back and forth change of fixtures can be a little bit fibling given that athletes have prepared, warmed up, and come out to play and they will have to tell them to come out another time for the game, pushing it to a different time.”
“It gets a little tiring if it keeps happening, but I’m still looking forward to a fair competition and hope the officials will do justice to the competing athletes,” she concluded.
Despite these concerns, BUK kicked off their WAUG journey on a strong note, securing a resounding 21-8 victory over Ambrose Ali University (AAU) in the men’s basketball group stage opener.
They look to continue their winning streak in Group A against Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) and University for Development Studies, Ghana (UDS) later on Tuesday. The BUK women’s basketball team will also face ABUAD in their Group A opener.
WAUG 2023 Updates
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