There was an unexpected moment of confusion at the 2026 African Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana, after organizers played Nigeria's old national anthem during Tobi Amusan's gold medal presentation.
Amusan had just secured Nigeria's first gold medal of the competition in the women's 100m hurdles, adding another major title to her growing list of achievements. The world record holder finished ahead of her rivals on Day 2 of the championship at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, as reported by the official Olympics website. The medal ceremony was presented by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, with fellow Nigerian athlete Adaobi Tabugbo also winning bronze in the same event, marking a strong outing for Team Nigeria.
But the celebration took an unexpected turn when the wrong anthem played, triggering immediate reactions from fans and officials watching the event.
Anthem mix-up steals attention
During Amusan's gold medal presentation, organizers mistakenly played Nigeria's former national anthem, "Arise, O Compatriots," instead of the current anthem. The error stood out because Nigeria officially reinstated "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" in 2024, replacing the older anthem as part of a national decision under President Bola Tinubu's administration, according to BBC News.
The old anthem, which was first used between 1960 and 1978, carries strong historical recognition among Nigerians, which may explain why some observers did not immediately notice the mistake. Still, the moment briefly overshadowed Amusan's achievement, with many viewers focused on the anthem confusion rather than the podium celebration.
Social media reaction splits opinion
The incident quickly spread online, with Nigerians reacting strongly to the mix-up during the ceremony. One user, Paul Archibong, wrote: "I'll still prefer the old Anthem to the new one, any day and any time." Another user, Okon, added: "Asides the fact that we still love this our sweet old anthem, I think it's embarrassing for the competition organizers not to know that our anthem has changed. This is an African Championship for crying out loud. Imagine CAF making this type of mistake at the Nations Cup."
Others were more emotional about the situation. Izuchukwu Onyemaechi reacted: "Please, bring back our old national anthem." Epic Maestro commented: "She was so happy to hear the former national anthem." The reactions showed a mix of nostalgia, frustration, and humor, with some users even suggesting confusion among organizers about Nigeria's official anthem.
Despite the controversy, the 2026 African Athletics Championships continue in Accra and are scheduled to run until May 17 at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium. For Nigeria, Amusan's gold remains a major highlight of the tournament so far, reinforcing her status as one of the continent's top athletes in sprint hurdles.
Amusan moved to tears after winning medal
In another development, Legit.ng reported that Amusan won the silver medal in the 100 meters hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Championship. Amusan clocked a time of 12.36s (-0.2) to win her semi-final and progress to the final, the best of all semi-final heats, and improved in the final, with a time of 12.29 seconds.
