Sports Development Minister Senator John Owan-Enoh has apologized to Nigerians over the below-par performance of Team Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In a statement personally signed by the Minister, he called for patience with ongoing reforms which are imminent and ongoing in the Ministry since he assumed office in August, 2023.
He noted that the performances by athletes which has resulted in a no-podium finish despite the hype which heralded the games have been subjected to review to curb future recurrence.
The Minister said that he has accepted that the performance could have been a lot better. It obviously fell short of objectives, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians.
He apologizes to compatriots and reflect on what went wrong while looking forward to the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024(August 28 – September 8th).’’
Senator Owan-Enoh reiterated that all necessary and available support was given to Team Nigeria after President Bola Tinubu approved funds for onshore and offshore camping.
He noted that with this result, spotlight will be on Sports Federations and administrators to either shape in or ship out.
While using the 1996 Atlanta Games as minimum benchmark for performance at the Olympics where Nigeria won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals, the Sports Development Minister assures that subsequent participation at the games will be a function of comparative standards of performance by Nigeria athletes and their international counterparts.
He further called for patience from Nigerians and desire to join the movement and turn the disappointments of Paris Olympics to the success stories in the sector tomorrow.
