Chima Maduakor stands at about five feet, ten inches tall, good-looking and physically fit. He looked like every other young man, but he is deaf and dumb. That notwithstanding, he is an Olympics Gold medallist.
He is part of the Nigerian Special Olympics team that came back from the 2019 Special Olympics Summer games in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, with a haul of medals. Globacom had sponsored Maduakor and two other athletes to the Olympics.
Maduakor won Gold in the shot put event. Another Athlete, Tejumola Ogunlela, won two bronze medals in swimming events, while Oyinkansola Givens Joseph won one silver and one bronze medal in badminton events.
In general, the Nigerian athletes scooped a total of 33 gold, 21 silver and 10 bronze medals at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games which ended on Thursday March 21, 2019.
The three Olympians sponsored by Globacom were at the Mike Adenuga Towers, headquarters of the company, on Friday May 3, to present their medals to the company.
Receiving the successful team on behalf of Globacom, State Head, SME, Lagos Zone, Globacom, Marie Macfoy, stated that the company’s staff and management were very happy with the sterling performance of Maduakor, Joseph and Ogunlela.
“Their exploits at the tournament were achieved by the team’s winning attitude and hard work, determination and an irrepressible personal belief that all things are possible, even in the face of severe challenges ”, she said.
“Globacom is not new to Special Olympics sponsorship. In 2011, we sponsored the Nigerian contingent to the Special Olympics held in Athens and the contingent returned with 27 medals,” she explained.
According to her, Globacom sponsored the three athletes to the 2019 edition because it believed in the objectives of the games which included ‘improving the lives of special children, helping them to reach their full potentials and creating greater social inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities’.
“I wish to assure you all that Globacom will continue to reward hard work and excellence in sports, whilst helping our youths to realize their potentials,” she concluded.
Responding at the brief ceremony, the leader of the Nigerian Contingent to the Special Olympics, Mr. Adeola Oladugba, said that Globacom’s financial intervention had enabled the young athletes to gain international recognition. “If not for Globacom’s support, the three athletes might not have been able to go on to the world stage. Globacom has done extremely well,” he enthused.
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