The Nigerian team improved their position from the 21st position in 2019 to 15th place in 2023.

Boye Oyerinde, President of the Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF), has applauded the performance of Team Nigeria at the World Team Squash Championship in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Mr Oyerinde, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos, said the performance of the team was commendable.

NAN reports that Team Nigeria, comprising Tunde Ajagbe, Onaopemipo Adegoke, Olufunmilayo, and Kehinde Samuel, finished in the 15th position out of the 24 national teams that participated in the event organised by the World Squash Federation.

"They did wonderfully well; I'm proud of their performance. This exposure is great for them. They have swam with the big sharks, and they all ended the year with a bang.

"I believe with more of this exposure, they will do better in subsequent events, especially the 2028 Olympic Games. We have the talents, no doubt; harnessing it is what we as stakeholders should focus on," he said.

Similarly, other stakeholders, such as Biyi Madebaje, Femi Ajagbe, Emmanuel Ibru, Tunji Gafaar, Sodienye Pepple, and Sola Abudu, applauded the players for making a great impression at the tournament.

NAN reports that the team's performance was more impressive than that of 2019, where it finished 21st out of 23 teams.

The defending champions, Egypt, defended their title with their number one world-ranked player, Ali Farag, and their number three player, Mostafa Asal, as members of the team.

NAN reports that on 16 October, squash was voted into the Olympic programme by IOC members and would be a competitive sport at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

NAN