Paralympic bronze medallist Eniola Bolaji has won the 2025 British and Irish Para Badminton International, held at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff on Saturday, July 26.

The world No. 2 claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory (21-16, 16-21, 21-13) over Paralympic champion and world No. 1 Qonitah Syakuroh in the women’s SL3 final.

Bolaji started strong, taking the first set 21-16, but Syakuroh responded with a 21-16 win in the second. In a tense third set, Syakuroh led until 13 points before Bolaji surged ahead from 11 to win 21-13 and secure the title.

Her campaign began with a 2-0 (21-12, 21-18) win over Australia’s Celine Vinot in Round 2. She then defeated world No. 10 Milena Surreau of France 2-0 (21-8, 21-18), followed by another dominant 2-0 (21-5, 21-15) win over India’s Sanjana Kumari.

In the semifinals, Bolaji faced Celine Vinot again and delivered an emphatic 2-0 (21-4, 21-8) victory to advance to the final, where she clinched her biggest international title to date.

An elated President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, described Eniola Bolaji’s victory as a testament to her hard work and perseverance.

Orbih noted that defeating the world No. 1, whom Bolaji had previously lost to in the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, shows she is ready for greater challenges ahead.

He said, “I am excited with this victory because she just defeated the world number one, whom she lost to in the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

“Bolaji has shown significant improvement, and we hope she maintains this momentum heading into the next Paralympic Games. BFN, BCA and the National Sports Commission are proud of her continuous efforts in putting Nigeria and Africa on the global badminton map.”

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been banned from all football-related activities after being found guilty of involvement in illegal betting activities.

Maduka Okoye, who currently plays his club football in Italy, has been under investigation for several months following reports of irregular betting patterns linked to games in which he featured.

The outcome of the investigation has resulted in a ban that could last up to two years, pending appeals and further review.

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye’s two-month ban for illegal betting has shocked fans and officials.

The investigation stemmed from suspicious betting activity surrounding a yellow card he received for time-wasting during Udinese’s 2-1 victory over Lazio on March 11, 2024.

Authorities flagged unusual bets, primarily from the Udine province, placed on Okoye receiving a yellow card at odds of 8/1, allegedly generating over €120,000 in winnings.

Okoye, along with three friends, was investigated and referred to the disciplinary commission in June 2025.

 While a sporting fraud conviction could have resulted in a four-year ban, he was instead convicted on the lesser charge of illegal betting

The ban will commence with the Coppa Italia match against Carrarese on August 18, 2025, causing him to miss six Serie A games before becoming available again on October 19.

The 25-year-old Nigerian international, with 18 caps, joined Udinese from Watford in 2023.

The Super Falcons put up another brilliant outing on Tuesday in the semi final of the Morocco 2025 Women’s Nations Cup.

The hardworking Nigerian girls secured a 2-1 victory over South Africa to land in the final of the tournament thus keeping their Mission X hopes alive.

The Super Falcons went into the lead in the first half courtesy of a Rashidat Ajibade strike from the spot.

South Africa managed to crawl back in the second half when they were awarded a soft penalty by the Ugandan referee.

Michelle Alozie in the dying minutes of the game sealed victory for Nigeria with a long volley that sailed into the net.

Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade has bagged her third Player of the Match award after overcoming South Africa in the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON, 2024

Ajibade opened the scoring from the spot before Michelle Alozie scored the winner for Nigeria to advance to the final in a 2-1 win. 

Recall that she was named Player of the Match against Botswana and Zambia as no player has won more Player of the Match awards at the ongoing WAFCON than her.

Victory meant the Super Falcons’ first win over the Banyana in the Africa Cup of Nations in the three tournaments, with the South Africans having won group stages matches in 2018 and 2022 with 1-0 and 2-1 score-lines respectively.

Nigeria’s head coach, Justine Madugu, has praised the unity and mental resilience of his players after the Super Falcons edged past South Africa 2–1 in a tense Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final on Tuesday in Casablanca

Reflecting on the emotionally charged encounter, Madugu revealed that the turning point came when the players managed to overcome their momentary loss of confidence following South Africa’s equaliser.

Madugu, who is leading Nigeria to the final for the first time as head coach after previously serving as assistant, said it was not an easy game to manage from the touchline and admitted he was frustrated by how the game momentarily slipped from their grasp.

“At some point, we lost control and became careless, that was frustrating, but as a coach, you must stay composed and focus on encouraging your players, not adding to their pressure. We gathered them, reminded them of what was at stake, and they responded well.”

He added that the emotional scenes at the final whistle, when Rasheedat Ajibade broke down in tears and could not speak to the media, were a reflection of the match’s intensity and the impact of Gabriella Salgado’s injury late in the game.

“The game was intense, and when you work hard to achieve something and succeed, emotions overflow. Gabriella’s injury was painful. Everyone was concerned, even the opposing bench. We pray for her full recovery,” Madugu said.

The Falcons will be chasing a historic 10th WAFCON title when they step out in Rabat, buoyed by a semi-final performance that tested their mental toughness and unity under pressure.