Alhaji Karim Ayinla Babalola "KAB" Olowu (7 June 1924 – 14 August 2019) was a Nigerian sprinter and

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

er who was part of Nigeria's first delegation to the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. Olowu participated in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

and in the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

. Two years prior to his appearance at the Olympics, he participated in the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games were the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. A documentary fil ...

(now the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

) in Auckland, New Zealand. At the

1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 30 July to 7 August 1954. This was the fifth edition of the event that would eventually become known as the Commonwealth Games, the second post-war G ...

held in Canada, he won silver medals in long jump and the 4×110 yards relay, becoming the first Nigerian athlete to win two medals at the Commonwealth Games. At the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

he became the first Nigerian

Olympic torch The Olympic flame is a Olympic symbols, symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony s ...

bearer. He was one of Africa's oldest living Olympians.

Early life

Olowu was born in Lagos, Nigeria on 7 June 1924 to B. M. S. Olowu and R. A. Olowu (née Tinubu). He is the first grandson of

Madam Tinubu Efunroye Tinubu ( 1810 – 1887), born Ẹfúnpọ̀róyè Ọ̀ṣuntinúbú, was a powerful Yoruba people, Yoruba female aristocrat, merchant, and slave trader in pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria. She was a politically and economically influ ...

and Saka Tinubu, part of a wealthy Yoruba family. He attended Saint Paul's Primary School, Breadfruit Lagos where in 1936 he began his sporting career represented his school in the

Empire Day Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, member states of the Commonwealth ...

Athletics in commemoration of the British Empire Day, which was celebrated in Britain and its colonies before the independence in 1960. He later attended

CMS Grammar School, Lagos The CMS Grammar School in Bariga, a suburb of Lagos in Lagos State, is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, founded on 6 June 1859 by the Church Missionary Society. For decades it was the main source of African clergymen and administrators in ...

where he was the sports prefect (Prefectus Ludorum). He started working as a civil servant before he won a Federal Government scholarship to study Physical Education in Loughborough College Leicestershire, England in 1952. He graduated with honors in 1955

Athletic career

Olowu was among the first group of Nigerians to participate in the Olympic Games. He represented the country twice at the Olympics in 1952 and 1956 respectively in long jump and relay race. He also took part in the

of 1950, 1954 and 1958. He won silver medals in the long jump and sprint relay at the 1958 edition. Olowu won three British

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

titles at the 1953 AAA Championships, 1955 AAA Championships, and

1958 AAA Championships The 1958 AAA Championships was the 1958 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 11 to 12 July 1958 at White City Stadium in London, England. Summary The ...

Athletics official

Olowu served in athletics in many other capacities. He was a prominent member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for several years. He was an official at the 8th Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica in 1966. He was the Nigerian team manager to the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

, Montréal, Canada. All the African countries eventually boycotted the Canada games because of the presence of the then

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

at the games. He served as the chairman, Lagos State Sports Council. He was the chief starter at the

1973 All-Africa Games The 2nd All-Africa Games, also known as Lagos 1973, were played from 7 to 18 January 1973, in Lagos, Nigeria. After the success of the first African Games, the organizing bodies awarded the second games to Bamako, Mali to be held in 1969. A mili ...

held in Lagos, Nigeria. He also served as captain and as a coach of the national teams at various times.

Later life

After he retired from his athletics career, Olowu worked in the Nigerian Prison system but his love for sports was never far behind. He set up the sports complex at the Nigerian Prison in Kirikiri,

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

where he worked for some years and set up the then Prisons Athletics club which produced many athletes for Nigeria. Olowu was married to Aminat Olowu (née Abina) until her death. He was the Chairman of the Olowu descendants Union and he was also the head of the Tinubu Family. He had many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Olowu died on 14 August 2019 at his daughters family hospital and was buried the next day according to Muslim rites.Nigeria: First Nigerian Commonwealth Games Medalist, Kab Olowu, Dies At 95
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Recognition

* The Nigerian Olympic Committee Inc Award (1995) * Ten years merit award from the Athletic Federation of Nigeria AFN (1996) * National Sports Award (1987) * OGS Merit Awards for contribution and service to CMS Grammar School in particular and Nigeria as a federation (2003) * Special awards and meritorious service to the development of sports in Nigeria by Football College(2001) * Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olowu, Karim 1924 births 2019 deaths Athletes from Lagos Nigerian male sprinters Nigerian male long jumpers Athletics (track and field) officials Olympic athletes for Nigeria Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Nigeria Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Officers of the Order of the Niger Yoruba sportspeople CMS Grammar School, Lagos alumni Medallists at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games 20th-century Nigerian sportsmen Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics