2024 Sports Highlights

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), hosted by Côte d’Ivoire, concluded with significant highlights. Côte d’Ivoire emerged victorious, claiming their third AFCON title by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final held on February 11, 2024, at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. This victory added to their previous titles in 1992 and 2015. Nigeria, who had previously defeated Côte d’Ivoire in the tournament’s group stage, could not secure their fourth title despite a strong performance. South Africa secured third place after beating the Democratic Republic of Congo in the third-place playoff.

The 2nd Edition of the African Military Games took place in Abuja between the 6th and 15th of November, 2024, as an avenue where all African Military Athletes come together to interact with one another towards enhancing the reasonable historical collaborative efforts and working relationships built and enjoyed over the years. The International Military Sports Council (CISM) and the Organisation of Military Sport in Africa (OSMA) support the games.

Tiger Woods achieved a remarkable milestone at the 2024 Masters Tournament by making his 24th consecutive cut at Augusta National, setting a new record for the prestigious event.

July 20 will go down in history in the boxing game as Mike Tyson’s return to the ring as a professional boxer. This was confirmed by the Texas Boxing Commission, which approved the fight against Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, held from July 26 to August 11, showcased thrilling athletic performances and historic moments. The U.S. topped the medal table with 40 golds. Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, known as D’Tigress, made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by becoming the first African team—male or female—to reach the quarterfinals. They achieved this milestone after defeating Canada 79-70 on August 4, following a stunning upset against Australia (75-62) in their opening match on July 29.

The Libya vs Nigeria AFCON 2025 qualifier match faced significant controversy following Nigeria’s withdrawal due to severe logistical issues. The Nigerian team, the Super Eagles, was stranded at Al Abraq Airport for over 16 hours without food or communication after their flight was diverted from Benghazi. This led to accusations of “inhumane treatment” from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), prompting the team to boycott the October 15, 2024 match.

Libya’s Football Federation threatened legal action against Nigeria in response, claiming the NFF’s actions were uncooperative. However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) later sanctioned Libya, awarding Nigeria three points in the qualifiers due to the incident.

The 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, held from June 1 to June 29, was co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies. This tournament featured a record 20 teams competing in 55 matches, expanding the format from previous editions. India clinched their second T20 World Cup title by defeating South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final at Kensington Oval, Barbados, on June 29.

High-profile negotiations and dramatic twists marked Victor Osimhen’s transfer saga during the summer of 2024. Following Napoli’s Scudetto win, Osimhen signed a contract extension with a €130 million release clause. However, as the transfer window progressed, he wanted to leave, particularly eyeing moves to Chelsea or Al-Ahli. As deadline day approached, negotiations with both clubs fell through—Chelsea offered significantly lower wages than his Napoli contract, while Al-Ahli backed out after Napoli raised their asking price. Osimhen was exiled from Napoli’s squad under new manager Antonio Conte, and no transfer materialised.

Ultimately, he joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan after the Turkish transfer window remained open longer. This move has allowed him to regain form and potentially set up a future permanent transfer, with reports suggesting a reduced release clause of €75 million for interested clubs.

On August 26, Nigeria lost one of its sporting legends with the passing of Nojim Maiyegun, the nation’s first Olympic medalist. Maiyegun, who was 85, died in Vienna, Austria, where he had lived for many years.

Rene Wakama, the head coach of Nigeria’s national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, was named the Best Coach of the Paris 2024 Women’s Basketball tournament.

Enugu Rangers clinched the 2023/24 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) title following a decisive 2-0 victory over Bendel Insurance on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium in Enugu.

Kylian Mbappe joined Real Madrid as a free agent in a long-awaited move, culminating in a lengthy transfer saga. The French forward signed a five-year contract with the La Liga giants after terminating his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), where he became the club’s all-time leading scorer with 256 goals. This transfer, announced on June 3, 2024, comes after years of speculation and failed attempts by Real Madrid to secure his signature.

Ademola Lookman was crowned the 2024 CAF African Player of the Year during the 2024 CAF awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco. The Atalanta forward had an outstanding season, scoring 17 goals and providing 10 assists across all competitions, including a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final that secured his club’s first-ever European trophy.

Lookman’s performances were pivotal in Nigeria’s journey to the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations finals, where they finished as runners-up. Alongside Lookman, Barbra Banda of Zambia was awarded the African Women’s Player of the Year, making history as the first Zambian to receive this accolade after leading Orlando Pride to an NWSL Championship victory.

Nigeria Super Falcons won the Women’s National Team of the Year. Chiamaka Nnadozie was awarded Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year for the second time, recognising her outstanding performance in both the club and the country.

These events marked the highlights in the sporting world for 2024, and we look forward to a more eventful year in the coming 2025.

Read More:

• Tinubu Ranks Third in Global Corruption Ranking by OCCRP
• 2024 Highlights: The Political Events That Shaped West Africa And The Sahel Region

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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