NOC President, Gumel welcomes Oyedeji into IOC fold
President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC), Engr. Habu Ahmed Gumel, has officially congratulated Olumide Oyedeji on his election as Secretary-General of the World Olympians Association (WOA).
Oyedeji, who currently serves as the 3rd Vice President of the NOC and President of the Nigeria Olympians Association (NOA), secured the prestigious position in a landslide victory during a virtual General Assembly held on Sunday.
He won on the first ballot with 55 votes, comfortably defeating Salvador Salguero of El Salvador and Liston Brochette of Puerto Rico, who polled 32 and 19 votes respectively.
The election involved over 107 delegates from National Olympians Associations (NOAs) across the globe.
The WOA, a respected body under the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is notably the same constituency that produced the newly elected IOC President, Kirsty Coventry — the legendary Zimbabwean swimmer and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Oyedeji’s ascent to this global role reinforces Nigeria’s growing influence within the IOC. A former NBA star and captain of Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, he has long been a vocal advocate for athlete welfare.
His election comes at a time of rising ‘African excellence’ in sports governance, following Coventry’s historic election in 2025 as the first female and first African President of the IOC.
Only recently, Nigerian table tennis icon Funke Oshonaike was nominated by IOC President Coventry to join the Athletes’ Commission, further highlighting Nigeria’s expanding footprint in international sports administration.
