Nigeria’s Sevens Rugby national team, Black Stallions, alongside 11 other countries, will participate in the Africa’s Men’s Olympic 2024 qualifiers scheduled to hold on 16 and 17 September 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The Black Stallions reached the final qualifying round after finishing second in the pre-qualifying meet that was staged in Mauritius last week. Nigeria lost 20-5 to Algeria in the final but secured qualification from the preliminary tournament alongside champions Algeria and Cote D’Ivoire.

Later in the year, 12 nations, including Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia, Madagascar, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Namibia, Algeria and Cote D’Ivoire will meet in Zimbabwe, where Africa’s sole representative at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France will be decided.

Nigeria, definitely an underdog going into the qualifiers, will hope to pull off an incredible performance in Zimbabwe to pick up Africa’s sole ticket for the Olympics – following the return of experienced Steve Lewis as the head coach of the senior national teams.

During his first tenure ten years ago, from 2012-2013, Lewis qualified the Black Stallions for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games against all odds. He has also coached the United States and Jamaica Rugby sevens teams.