Sports minister, Sunday Akinlabi Dare has premised that all 10 athletes that were declared ineligible to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan will receive adequate welfare packages and entitlements in the Nigerian camp, megasportsarena.com reports.
The ten athletes were rendered ‘unqualified’ to participate in their restive events in track and field due to faulty dope schedules arranged for them by the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), thereby ruling them out of the hunt for medals.
The development left uncertainty over the fate of the ten in the Nigerian contingent and a public protest erupted among them on the streets of Tokyo, following which Dare reacted swiftly with an apology and pledge.
A statement from the ministry of sports revealed that Dare tendered a heart tearing apology to the 10 Nigerian athletes, who were disqualified with ten others from various countries from participating in track and field in Tokyo because they did not meet anti-doping requirements in terms of scheduled tests heading into the Games.
A press release titled ‘Statement: Ministry Wades to stem crisis,’ further revealed that Dare also promised to investigate the matter thoroughly and come out with a far-reaching verdict as soon as possible.
The stamen added: “The Honourable Minister on Thursday morning in a meeting spoke directly with the 10 track and field athletes who will not be competing and assured them of their welfare.
“He apologized to them for the unfortunate development that led to their exclusion and promised that it would be fully investigated.
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has stepped in to stem the further crisis by addressing the issues that have arisen concerning Team Nigeria athletes.
“The Ministry is looking into some of the issues raised by the athletes and they are being addressed as quickly as possible.”
