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By Ojeikere Aikhoje
Indeed, dreams come true!
Winter Sports has gained steady rise in Nigeria since the 2018 Winter Olympics, in PyeongChang South Korea, and Nigeria has kicked off preparations for another adventure on ice, in Milan 2026.
Since the team returned from South Korea, there has been a deliberate attempt to build on the progress recorded.
Travel booking brand, TravelStart, played a key role in Nigeria’s participation at the Olympics, in South Korea by joining forces with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to fly the flag carrying team to South Korea to aid their quest for gold.
The full team flew from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, in Lagos, through Amsterdam to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.
Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, Akuoma Omeoga and Simidele Adeagbo represented Nigeria at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
On the eve of the trip, Philip Akesson, Country Manager of Travelstart Nigeria said “As Africa’s largest online travel agency, we are excited to use our resources and our partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to get the Nigerian Team to their first Winter Olympics. The team’s resilient, passion, go-getter attitude towards achieving their goals are admirable, and is a message that resonates deeply with our company values.”
“At KLM we are always looking for ways to be innovative, we care about our customers and we are also interested in supporting the countries we fly to. The Nigerian Bobsled and Skeleton team are a group of young ladies who are innovative, dynamic, ambitious, pacesetters, and resilient. These great qualities set them apart and embody our company’s ambitions. We are pleased to unveil today a driving partnership with Travelstart to fly the flag carrying team to South Korea to support their quest for gold.” Michel Colleau, General Manager Air France KLM Nigeria & Ghana
Homegrown Athletes
A homegrown athlete at the 2025 National Push Championships organised by the Bobsled and Skeleton Federation of Nigeria
The presence of homegrown athletes underscores progress made by the BSFN in the development of Winter Sport in Nigeria.
Speaking after the conclusion of the National Push Championship, in Lagos, which served as the National Trials ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan and Cortina, Italy, Adigun, who is now Technical Director said: “We are focusing on trying to make sure we qualify for the Winter Olympics again. It has been since 2018 that we competed and participated at the Olympics and we are even more adamant this year to make sure we have athletes
“Good news about our sport. Now we have several athletes that have in our federation that live in and born abroad. We want to spend more time on ice to align with the best athlete. Athletes can also train without snow,” she said.
Solomon Ogba, President of the Federation said: “I’ve always told people that funding should not be left to government alone. So we try to look for funding elsewhere and localize the sport,”
About Travelstart
Travelstart is Africa’s largest online travel agency, with headquarters in Cape Town and a local office in Lagos.
Founded in Sweden, Travelstart opened its doors in 1999 and pioneered online travel with a focus on making travel booking simple and more affordable in Africa and beyond, by simplifying the travel booking experience for our customers.
It is the brainchild of travel visionary Stephan Ekbergh.
Nearly two decades, plenty of learning, growth and one African immigration later, today Travelstart proudly employs a team of more than 200 staff with offices in Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Turkey and other countries.
Travelstart Nigeria opened in 2012 and has grown to more than 50 staff. The company provides access to more than 500 airlines flying to more than 11,000 destinations. Travelstart Nigeria is the 2017 winner of the Best Blog at the Nigerian Tourism and Travel Awards.
Travelstart has won multiple awards over the years including 2019 Travel Agency of the Year at The Pyne Awards, three-year in a row winner of Nigeria’s Leading Online Travel Agency (2021, 2022, 2023) by the World Travel Awards. For more visit www.travelstart.com.ng
