Tokyo 2020: Meet the athlete who dumped Nigeria to represent Ghana at Olympics
- Nadia Eke gave reasons why she chose to wear the colours of Ghana instead of Nigeria at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- The half-Nigerian will be contending for honours for Ghana in the triple jump event of the games
- The 28-year-old has won several medals at the African Athletics Championship but is yet to win a laurel at a world event
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Nadia Eke is a Ghanaian triple jumper who will be competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and one would wonder why she did not choose the green and white flag of Nigeria.
The 28-year-old was born to a Nigerian father and a Ghanaian mother but claims she chose the latter from the former because of originality.
Source: UGC
The Columbia University graduate told BBC:
"I chose to compete for Ghana in 2014 because being Ghanaian is my blood.
"It's authentically who I am and so for me to be selected as the flagbearer was a testament to all of the things that I've been through, everything thing that I stand for in that moment, to be that person that is representing Ghana."Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in
Eke competed at the World Athletics Championships in 2019 also validated her choice of picking Ghana over Nigeria was due to her preference in jollof rice.
She continued:
"I am Nigerian and I'm Ghanaian and so if anyone has the best answer is me.
"My mother is Ghanaian and my father is Nigerian."
"I asked my father this myself. 'I said which country has the best jollof? And he said; "I ended up marrying a Ghanaian woman."
"So it goes without saying Ghanaian jollof."
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that ten Nigerians have been banned from competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games the Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) have declared them ineligible for doping and non-anti-doping issues, Premium Times.
Out of the 18 athletes suspended from participating in the Games, Team Nigeria are the most affected country.
The AIU explained that the respective national federations of countries are responsible for ensuring appropriate anti-doping measures are in place in their respective jurisdictions.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.
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