Gymnastics Is Worth Fighting For’: Olalere Pushes for Fairness, Women’s Leadership in Nigerian Sport

‘Gymnastics Is Worth Fighting For’: Olalere Pushes for Fairness, Women’s Leadership in Nigerian Sport
Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria Vice President Omowunmi Olalere says her involvement in the sport began as an attempt to give back to society but has developed into a broader campaign for grassroots development, transparent administration and greater opportunities for women in sports leadership.
Speaking in an interview with The Punch, Olalere reflected on her years within Nigerian gymnastics, her unsuccessful attempts to become federation president and the leadership disputes that followed the federation's 2025 electoral process. Punch Newspapers
From business to gymnastics
Olalere said she originally entered sports administration as part of a desire to invest in young people rather than because she wanted a leadership position.
Her interest in gymnastics was also influenced by her children, who enjoyed the sport.
She said she became attracted to the discipline, confidence, concentration and physical development gymnastics could offer young athletes.
That interest eventually led her deeper into administration.
In 2021, Olalere became chairperson of the South-West gymnastics structure and contested for the presidency of the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria.
She lost the election.
Rather than leaving the sport, she said the result pushed her to learn more about federation structures, develop relationships with stakeholders and continue supporting competitions and athletes. Punch Newspapers
Her involvement has included organising grassroots competitions.
In 2023, the Omowunmi Olalere Foundation supported the South-West Gymnastics Competition at the National Stadium in Lagos, with athletes from Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti participating. Lagos finished the competition as the leading state with 18 medals. Punch Newspapers
A renewed push for the presidency
Olalere again sought the GFN presidency during the federation's 2025 leadership process.
She maintains that her objective was not to be automatically installed as president but to have an opportunity to contest in what she considered a credible and inclusive election.
The process subsequently became controversial.
Following complaints about the September 2025 election in which incumbent president Kelvin Erhunmwunse emerged unopposed, the National Sports Commission called for another election.
Earlier reporting stated that the NSC considered the process inconsistent with its national sports governance guidelines. Punch Newspapers
Olalere welcomed the intervention and repeatedly called for a vote involving eligible stakeholders.
When delegates later gathered in Abuja for another planned election in October 2025, the gymnastics election did not proceed as expected, prolonging uncertainty surrounding the federation's leadership. ThisDayLive
Erhunmwunse disputed criticism of the election
The controversy was not one-sided.
Erhunmwunse rejected the NSC's call for another poll at the time and argued that the September 2025 election had been properly conducted under the federation's constitution.
He described suggestions that a fresh election was necessary as mistaken and maintained that the original process had been free, fair and transparent. Blueprint Newspapers Limited
That disagreement is important because several statements in Olalere's latest interview concern a leadership process that remained disputed between rival stakeholders.
Olalere raises concerns over election rules
In her latest interview, Olalere alleged that changes made to the federation's constitution affected the leadership contest and created a route for the incumbent to continue beyond eight years.
She questioned whether the amendments had received adequate authorisation and whether the process reflected the views of the wider gymnastics community.
Those claims represent Olalere's account of the dispute and should not be presented as independently established findings.
She said her concern throughout the conflict was that federation leaders should ultimately emerge through a process in which stakeholders were allowed to make their choice. Punch Newspapers
First vice-president role accepted as compromise
Olalere said she eventually accepted the position of First Vice President as part of an effort to bring peace to the federation and allow attention to return to athletes.
According to her, she believed compromise could help end the prolonged disagreement.
But she said she later became uncomfortable with the direction of events and felt that accepting the vice-presidential position should not prevent her from continuing to raise questions about the process. Times NG
Women must be allowed to compete for leadership, Olalere says
A major theme of Olalere's interview was the role of women in sports administration.
She said her experience made her question whether female administrators are always given the same opportunity to contest for senior positions as their male counterparts.
Olalere stopped short of claiming she knew every individual's motivation, but said the resistance she encountered left her feeling that her gender may have influenced how her leadership ambition was received.
She argued that women should not be restricted to supporting roles in which they contribute money, organise programmes and mobilise athletes while leadership positions remain harder to access.
Her preferred system, she said, is one where women can campaign, contest, win or lose under the same rules as everyone else. Punch Newspapers
Grassroots gymnastics remains central
Despite the administrative disputes, Olalere says the development of young gymnasts remains the reason she continues to work in the sport.
Her previous activities support that broader grassroots focus.
At the 2023 South-West competition she organised, athletes from several states received medals and cash prizes, with Olalere saying at the time that one of her goals was to identify young talent and help revive gymnastics across Nigeria. Punch Newspapers
She has also spoken publicly about the need for better sporting infrastructure.
Earlier in 2026, Olalere discussed the proposed Olympic City development and argued that improved facilities could help Nigeria discover and develop more athletes. Premium Times separately identified her as a GFN board member and project coordinator involved in the initiative. Premium Times Nigeria
‘A sport worth fighting for’
For Olalere, the disagreements surrounding the federation have transformed what began as a social-impact project into something more personal.
She says she remains committed because she believes Nigerian children deserve functioning sporting structures, women deserve genuine opportunities to lead and federation rules should be applied fairly.
Her message to young female athletes is equally focused on possibility: they should be able to dream not only about competing in gymnastics, but also about eventually leading the institutions that govern their sport.
The leadership dispute may have introduced Olalere to the more complicated side of sports administration, but she insists it has not changed her belief in gymnastics itself.
Instead, she says it convinced her that the sport is worth continuing to fight for. Punch Newspapers