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Issues in and Patterns of Women's Participation in Sports in Nigeria

In this article an attempt has been made to discuss some of the problems against women's involvement in sports in Nigeria. Reference is made to the Nigerian traditional culture which regarded women as the fair and weaker sex who should not participate in any vigorous physical activity. In the past, society frowned at women taking part in such activities like wrestling, shooting with bows and arrows, horse-back riding and hunting. The assumption of the people was that women's involvement in those traditional sports could make them de velop heavy muscles and loss their feminine appearance. The article highlighted some misconceptions regarding the physiological effects of women's participation in sports on the menstrual cycle and child bearing ability. The fear of society about this was a great deterrent to women's participation in sports. Also the psychological effects of the influence of parents' opinion on their daughters participating in sports are mentioned. The discussion on the current trends in women's participation in sports empha sised the equal opportunity which the Nigerian women now enjoy with man in sports. This social change is attributed to the impact of cultural contact between the Western world and Nigeria through formal education. With the present change of attitude toward women in sports, the Nigerian women have made a breakthrough in the arena of sports at national and international levels. The article gives a brief account of the performances and achievements of the Nigerian women in sports at the institutional and community levels and also at some inter national sports competitions such as the Commonwealth and the Olympic Games.