The last batch of Nigerian athletes for this year’s Olympic Games will land in Tokyo, Japan late Monday, as the delegation is scheduled to levee earlier in the day.
Megasportsarena.com reports that the delegation will make the trip almost a week after the first set of Nigerian athletes flew out of Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja on Tuesday.
The first batch of athletes comprises those competing in canoeing, rowing, and table tennis categories alongside their coaches and officials.
On hand to see them off and offer words of advice to them was sports minister, Sunday Dare, who enjoined the athletes to compete clean and bring glory back home to the country.
The second batch, comprising athletics, taekwondo, and wrestling left 24 hours later, while the third batch, which includes gymnastics and badminton, travelled on Saturday and the last batch, comprising male and female basketball teams, will depart this Monday.
The Olympics will run from July 23 to August 8, with Team Nigeria expected to participate in nine events, ahead of which the first batch landed in Kizarazu City, where they will have a pre-Games training camp before moving to the Olympics village.
The first batch had athletes and officials in Canoe sprint, rowing and table tennis; among which Bello Ayomide will participate in Women’s Canoeing, Sprint C1 200m and Esther Tamaramiyebi Toko in women’s single Sculs WX1 rowing.
In table tennis, Omotayo Olajide and Aruna Quadri will take part in men’s singles while Edem Offiong and Olufunke Oshonaike are going to feature in women’s singles respectively.
Speaking during the brief send forth at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Dare charged the athletes to shun performance enhancing drugs and ensure they win only clean medals.
Dare declared: “We are keeping to the tradition of unveiling the team to the President who will in turn hand them over to the Nigerian Olympics Committee.
“The unveiling of the official wear, equipment will be done by Mr. President. This is a symbolic event meant to officially send forth the team to the games.
“This should also inspire the athletes and to reinforce the fact that the federal government and the entire country are behind them.”
The vice-president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) eventually took charge of the official send forth, during which he called on the team to replicate the outstanding performances of past Nigerian Olympians, noting that they stand on the shoulders of giants.
Recalling the exploits of past Nigerian teams, Osinbajo added that they have encouragement of others before them, like Chioma Ajunwa, who excelled in women’s long jump at the 1996 Games and became the first black African woman to win Olympic gold in a field event.
Osinbajo stressed: “in 2000, in Sydney again we beat the best in the world, we won the gold in 4×400 meter relay after the American team was disqualified for using performance-enhancing drugs.
“Our team then was Clement Chukwu, the late Sunday Bada, Enefiok Udo-Ubong, Jude Monye, and two other members of the team, Fidelis Gadzama and Nduka Awazie.
“For anyone who thinks we are joking, maybe they haven’t seen our exhibition basketball game with the USA team, especially that amazing block by Precious Achiuwa against Kevin Durant, who is probably the best player in the NBA right now. So Precious, you are the real MVP!
“You stand on the shoulders of giants and, with the quality and intensity of training you have received and your exploits during the qualification series for the Olympic Games, I am confident that by God’s grace, you will again make history and beat the best in the world.
“Olympics is about fair play, honesty, teamwork, respect, and friendship. I trust that you will, as worthy ambassadors of Nigeria, represent our nation excellently.
“Fair play clearly enjoins every athlete not to use any prohibited substances or to cheat in any way. Half of the joy and satisfaction of victory is that it was won fairly.
“Every one of you participating in the games is opening a page in history for yourself, your families, your community, and the nation.”
As at Thursday night, a total of 28 Nigerian athletes from taekwondo, athletics and wrestling as well as team officials had arrived in the East Asian country with a lot of expectations.
Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) technical director and 2008 Olympian, Chika Chukwumerije said the team had to wait for four hours to observe necessary protocols before their admission into the camp in Kizarazu.
Chukwumerije added: “We were at the airport for four hours. The protocol was intense. We had to go through online applications, as well as immigration and customs check.
“Also, COVID-19 tests were done and we had to wait for the results as well. It was a very stressful one. But thankfully we are at Kizarazu now.
“The Mayor of the town came to welcome us and it was nice to have that kind of reception. Our advance team who were here earlier did a good job in organising food for us.
“We already have Nigerian dishes waiting for us as we arrived and we have all settled in our rooms and we are rearing to go.”
