Sports development minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, has charged Nigerian athletes to compete favorably and achieve podium performances at the forthcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
He gave the charge yesterday in Abuja during the official handover and farewell ceremony of the Team Nigeria contingent to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
He urged the contingent to strive for podium feat at the Games, emphasizing the importance of hard work and dedication.
He announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has fully approved the budget for the Games, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to excellence in sports. He therefore tasked members of Team Nigeria to make the President and the entire country proud in Paris.
“We have no excuse whatsoever,” said Senator Enoh. “The President has approved the entire budget for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, so it is up to us to try to reciprocate the goodwill of the President and give him reasons to continue to do more. It is not the first time he has done this. In December, he did the same for our male and female football teams by paying backlogs of salaries. He has done the same for our contingent going to the Olympics and Paralympics.”
Senator Enoh also highlighted the importance of the foreign training tours for different sports, aimed at ensuring the physical, technical, and tactical readiness of the athletes for the Games.
“Given the effort of both the Government and the Ministry, as well as well-meaning agencies, it is important that the athletes involved in this national call of duty regard themselves as performing an ambassadorial function, as ambassadors of Nigeria. We expect discipline, honesty, commitment, and responsibility to perform creditably well for podium placements.”
“Our expectations are high, and given my interactions with our athletes, I have no doubt that these expectations will be met,” he added.
The event was attended by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, Atinuke Watti, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Abu Gumel, President of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria, Sunday Odebode, Charge D’affaire of the France Embassy in Nigeria, sports federations presidents, among others.
The ceremony also featured the official unveiling of Team Nigeria’s kits to be used in Paris.
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