Folayemi Akinyosoye and Adebodunrin Thomas headline Nigeria’s squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships, which will take place in Lagos from August 9 to 14, www.aclsports.com reports.
Both fencers have been named in Team Nigeria’s squad for the Championships, which will be held at Rugby School Nigeria, Atlantic City, Victoria Island. The event will be the first edition of the competition staged in Nigeria and the first senior fencing tournament to be hosted in Africa.
Akinyosoye enters the Championships as Nigeria’s highest-ranked fencer, sitting 119th in the world rankings. The 21-year-old sabreur reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 African Championships and will captain Nigeria’s men’s sabre team in both the U-23 and senior events.
Thomas, meanwhile, continues her rise in the sport after making her African Championships debut in Lagos in 2025. She later progressed beyond the group stage at the African Senior Championships in Abidjan before bowing out in the knockout rounds.
Also named in the men’s squad are Chizim Aninyei, Adegbola Babade, Wisdom Okanlawon, Diekolola Johnson, Nabil Oseni, Oghenegaren Esiovwa Thompson, Martins Olabaderinwa and Olagunju Zaafir.
The women’s squad is completed by Oluwafiifehanmi Babatunde, Erinle Teniayo and Okpaleke Mekachi.
National coach Ibrahim Alogba believes Nigeria’s exposure to international competition will be crucial as the team prepares to compete on home soil.
“They have been exposed to top-class tournaments across the globe. Those experiences will be handy at the Commonwealth Championships. With home support, I believe we can win medals.”
