BY AKINTOYE SAMSON OLALEKAN
The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has strongly emphasized the need for Team Nigeria to surpass its best Olympic record, achieved at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
He made this call during the Ministerial Strategic Technical Meeting aimed at preparing Team Nigeria for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, held on Thursday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The meeting brought together Olympics-bound sports federations to map out a comprehensive roadmap and technical training programs. These plans will be meticulously analyzed 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. We must build on our past successes and strive for excellence in Paris 2024,” Senator Enoh stated.
The Minister emphasized 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.
Domestic camping will officially open this weekend in Abuja, Lagos, Bayelsa, and Ibadan. 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 Ahletes have qualified for the Olympics, as many others are still in the qualification process.
Senator Enoh expressed confidence in the plans laid out and urged all stakeholders to remain committed and focused on the goal of achieving outstanding results at the Paris 2024 Games.
