60 Nigeria Sports Icon: Ogbeifo–Balofin hits back at List Compilers.

  60 Nigeria Sports Icon: Ogbeifo–Balofin hits back at List Compilers. By Emediong Silver Following the release of 60 Nigerian Sports Icon list by the Ministry of Sports, Sydney 2000 Olympic silver medallists, Ruth Ogbeifo-Balofin has since come out to say that she do not feel bitter about omission of her name from the list, BSNSports.com.ng reports. Awards to 60 Nigerian Sports icons took place at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja. She said, “I hold no grudge not been among the 60 Nigeria Sports Icon but it is painful that after spending 8 hours everyday while training, getting injured and recovering, becoming an All African Games Champion, African Champion, World Champion and Olympic Silver medallist, my country still did not deem it fit to recognize me among their sports Icon. “For record purpose, I am not only I Champion in my sport, I have also produced African Games Champions in weightlifting through my Ruth Ogbeifo-Balofin Community Project (ROBCOP) in Offa, Kwara state. “If my country does not honour me, I know God in heaven will honour me. Outside Nigeria, I get treated like a queen whenever they know I won a medal at the Olympics but in Nigeria, I will have to lobby to get things done. Ogbeifo-Balofin was the first African woman to win a medal at the Olympics. She also won laurels for the country at the World Weightlifting Championship.