Domestic Camping Resumes, Foreign Training Tours Scheduled
Sports Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, has challenged Team Nigeria to work towards surpassing its best Olympic records achieved at the Atlanta ‘96 Games. Till date, the two gold medals achieved at Atlanta ’96 Games through Chioma Ajunwa (7.12m in long jump) and football remains Nigeria’s best moment in Olympics history. Also at the 1996 Olympics Games, Nigeria got one silver medal in the women’s 4x400m relay through the efforts of Bisi Afolabi, Fatima Yusuf, Charity Opara and Falilat Ogunkoya, with three bronze medals from Mary Onyali (200m), Falilat Ogunkoya (400m) and Duncan Dokiwari (boxing).
The Sports minister is of the view the records have stayed too long and there is the need for Team Nigeria to smash it in Paris.Speaking during the Ministerial Strategic Technical Meeting aimed at preparing Team Nigeria for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, held in Abuja, the minister said the country has the athletes to break the record in Paris.
The meeting brought together Olympics-bound sports federations to map out a comprehensive roadmap and technical training programs, which will be meticulously analysed by the Federation and Elite Athletes Department (FEAD) and the Ministerial Podium Performance Committee to ensure that Team Nigeria is on the right path to winning medals.
“Surpassing our best Olympic performance is a goal that we should target to meet,” Enoh said. “We must build on our past successes and strive for excellence in Paris 2024.”
The Minister emphasised that both domestic and international preparations are crucial for the success of Team Nigeria.
“The combination of domestic camping and foreign training tours is essential. It ensures our athletes are well-prepared and ready to compete at the highest level,” he added.
A statement by the Senior Adviser on Media to the Sports Minister, Diana-Mary Nsan, made available to The Guardian, revealed that domestic camping will officially open today in Abuja, Lagos, Bayelsa, and Ibadan, while foreign training tours will take place thereafter with the U.S., Germany, Spain, Italy, amongst top destinations pencilled down.
“The roadmap discussed during this meeting is designed to provide athletes with the best possible preparation, leveraging state-of-the-art facilities and expert coaching both locally and internationally. Thus far, 88 athletes have qualified for the Olympics, as many others are still in the qualification process.
“Senator Enoh is confident in the plans laid out, and he has urged all stakeholders to remain committed and focused on the goal of achieving outstanding results at the Paris 2024 Games,” Nsan stated.
