Team Nigeria’s swimming campaign at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games got underway on Friday, with Clinton Opute finishing sixth in Heat 1 of the Men’s 200m Individual Medley.

Competing against a quality field that included some of the Commonwealth’s top swimmers, Opute gave his best in an event won by England’s Thomas Dean, while Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand finished second and Lorne Wigginton of Canada placed third.

Read Also: Glasgow 2026 Opens in Spectacular Style as Team Nigeria Dazzles in Green and White Parade

Bermuda’s Elijah Daley and Sam Williamson finished fourth and fifth respectively, with Opute crossing the line in sixth ahead of Luke Higgo of the Cayman Islands.

Although the result was not enough to challenge the leading swimmers in the heat, Opute’s appearance marked Nigeria’s first outing in the swimming events at Glasgow 2026, as Team Nigeria continues its campaign across multiple sports.

Sports247, monitoring events from Glasgow, reports that Team Nigeria remains focused on its medal ambitions, with Nigerian athletes also in action on Friday in 3×3 Basketball, Boxing and Para Powerlifting, where the country’s strongest medal hopes lie.

Nigeria is represented by 74 athletes competing in 10 sports, with the National Sports Commission targeting 16–20 gold medals at the Games.

The day’s action continues across various venues in Glasgow, with Sports247 bringing readers live updates, breaking news and exclusive reports as Team Nigeria pursues Commonwealth success.

Stay with Sports247 for all the latest from Glasgow 2026.

The post JUST IN: Clinton Opute Finishes Sixth in Heat 1 as Team Nigeria’s Swimming Campaign Gets Underway at Glasgow 2026 appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.

Nigeria’s number one female épée fencer, Adebodunrin Thomas has disclosed that she is determined to achieve a landmark performance at this year’s Commonwealth Fencing Championship, which is scheduled to hold in Lagos from August 9th to 14th.

READ ALSO: ‘I’m Ready To Go Even Further’ — Rising Star Adebodunrin Thomas Sets Sights On Commonwealth Fencing Glory In Lagos

Sports247 reports that, while admitting it will be a tough and very challenging competition, the fast-rising fencer, who was one of Nigeria’s representatives at the 2025 African Fencing Championships, is banking on her preparation towards the upcoming competition to uplift her.

As she gets ready to compete against top fencers from Australia, India, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cyprus, England, Ghana, Guernsey and Jamaica, Thomas reasoned further that the tips she has received from her coach will help her make an impact, along with her personal ambition.

Other competitors will come from Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Gambia, Togo and Wales, with India set to present the largest delegation of 67 fencers at the championship, which will involve contests in veteran, senior, under-23 and para categories.

Classifications that will feature during the six-day schedule of events are epee, foil, and sabre, all of which Thomas noted will make the upcoming competition more demanding than previous championships but said she remains optimistic about her chances of reaching an advance stage.

Thomas retorted: “I have very high expectations, and I think it is going to be really challenging. This will not be like the African Championships. I hope to reach the last 16 again, as I did at the Junior African Championships.

“More importantly, fencing against some of the world’s top athletes is a great opportunity. I have trained every day since returning from school, working with my coach on new techniques, and I am eager to put them into practice.”

The post Adebodunrin Thomas Determined To Achieve Landmark Performance At Commonwealth Fencing Championship In Lagos appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.

Sports247 has scooped that Nigerian Afrobeat’s icon, Burna Boy raked in a mammoth $1.45m for performing during half-time of this year’s FIFA World Cup, despite not getting any formal payment from the global football governing body, which reportedly arranged the show for charity.

However, despite the official report that FIFA did not directly pay any of the performers for the opening ceremony and half time show in the final, independent reports indicate that Burna Boy is smiling to the bank for his part in the competition’s theme song alongside Colombian damsel, Shakira.

Although the artiste, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, featured mostly as a back-up to Shakira in the tournament’s official anthem, ‘Dai Dai,’ his appearances during the opening ceremony and half time of the final gave him immense global followership that has brought for him a huge financial gain.

While American legend, Madonna is reportedly the highest earner among all performers during the first ever FIFA World Cup Half Time Show, for which Shakira got $2.5m, Burna Boy played a prominent role in the song, which combines Afrobeats with Latin pop and funk.

The song was created to celebrate global unity and it supported motives of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund for children, following which an online report by Jvision Entertainment TV disclosed, “Burna Boy was paid a total $7m … 4m for his contribution in production of the song and 3m for his opening ceremony performance.”

However, Spanish publication, Marca reported that performers at the 2026 World Cup final half time show were not paid a performance fee by FIFA, as the global football body only covers production costs, staging and logistics, while the artistes perform without any formal financial payment.

An additional report by E.News indicated, “Global Citizen x FIFA – a charitable effort aimed at unlocking access to sports and education for children worldwide – confirmed that none of the artistes who performed at the FIFA World Cup Final half time show on July 19 were paid.

“Instead, the musicians were content to be a part of history, as they will be remembered for helping to introduce this American tradition to the world’s favourite sport (and) the artistes came together to deliver a truly global show.”

Global Citizen previously announced in a May 14th Instagram post: “A FIFA World Cup first, the Half Time Show supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a landmark initiative working to raise $100m to expand access to quality education and football for children around the world.”

Nevertheless, a slightly contrasting angle was published by UK’s Sun tabloid, which wrote in part, “Shakira is estimated to have a massive payday from the World Cup – with the tournament and her many appearances triggering a massive surge in global music streams.

“Her performances opening and closing the event cemented her status as one of the biggest stars in the world. At the Closing Ceremony, she performed ‘Dai Dai’ with Burna Boy – the Fourth World Cup she’s performed at.”

Sports247 gathered further that, despite not getting paid officially by FIFA, Burna Boy is reaping huge rewards from royalties, media rights, streaming fees, content values and endorsements, with a total gain in the range of $1.45m … and still rising.

The post Burna Boy Gains $1.45m After Performing During World Cup Half Time; Despite No Official Payment By FIFA appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.