# Nigeria at the Olympics

> Nigeria has competed at the Summer Olympics since 1952 and has won 27 medals overall, according to the Olympedia historical database. Its best Games came at Atlanta 1996, when the men's football team won gold and long jumper Chioma Ajunwa took Nigeria's first individual Olympic gold medal on the same trip.

**Category:** Sports · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/nigeria-at-the-olympics

## Key facts
- **First Olympic appearance:** 1952, Helsinki
- **Total medals (Olympedia):** 27 — 3 gold, 10 silver, 14 bronze
- **First individual gold:** Chioma Ajunwa, long jump, 7.12m, 2 August 1996
- **1996 football gold:** Beat Argentina 3–2, Atlanta, 3 August 1996
- **2008 football silver:** Lost 1–0 to Argentina, Beijing, 23 August 2008
- **2000 relay gold:** Men's 4x400m awarded retroactively (2012) after US team's doping DQ
- **Games missed:** 1976 Montreal (boycott)
- **Other medal sports:** Boxing (6 medals) and taekwondo (1 bronze, Chukwumerije 2008)

## Sources
- Nigeria — Country overview and all-time medal table — Olympedia (https://www.olympedia.org/countries/NGR)
- Argentina 2-3 Nigeria, 1996 Olympic Football Final — athlet.org (https://athlet.org/football/olympics/1996/final-round/1996-08-03-argentina-nigeria.html)
- Chioma Ajunwa - Olympic Long Jump gold in 1996 - Nigeria — Sporting Heroes (https://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics/nigeria/chioma-ajunwa-288/olympic-long-jump-gold-in-1996_a07207/)
- Chioma Ajunwa Biography, Net Worth, Husband & Olympic Gold — First Nigerian (https://firstnigerian.com/chioma-ajunwa-biography-net-worth-husband/)
- Chioma Ajunwa: Nigeria's Trailblazing Olympic Gold Medalist in Long Jump — Meet Everyday People (https://www.meeteverydaypeople.com.ng/2024/11/chioma-ajunwa-nigerias-trailblazing.html)
- Messi and Argentina grab gold in Beijing — FIFA (https://inside.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/beijing2008/news/messi-and-argentina-grab-gold-in-beijing)
- Chika Chukwumerije inducted into World Taekwondo Hall of Fame — LaCancha (https://www.lacancha.com/chika.html)

_NigeriaStuff.org — free encyclopedic reference on Nigeria. Full article at the canonical URL above._