The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, announced that the Federal Government has approved over N12 billion for Team Nigeria’s preparation and participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
The 2024 Olympic Games will take place from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, August 11 in Paris, France.
Enoh emphasised that this approval demonstrates the President’s commitment to sports development, justifying the creation of a separate ministry for this purpose.
He reiterated that the entire budget for the games, as submitted, was approved by the President, indicating that this support is highly appreciated and will not be taken for granted.
“It is not as if everything has been done, but I think that every request made to fund our competitions, including preparation and participation, has been approved by Mr. President. We commend and thank him,” Enoh stated.
Additionally, the Minister mentioned that the House of Representatives has approved N100 million to support Team Nigeria’s participation in the Paris Olympics.
“I immediately decided that the entire sum will go to the athletes. We will review various allowances and increase them accordingly with the approved funds from the House of Representatives.
“This amount is not for preparations but will be allocated directly to the athletes. I will announce this during my visit to the camp in Germany to motivate them,” he said.
While Enoh did not set a specific target for Team Nigeria, he expressed his aspiration to win as many medals as possible in Paris, inspired by positive reports from the training camp in Germany. He hopes to surpass Nigeria’s best performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where the country won two gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
The Minister also thanked the media for their support in covering the team’s activities and achievements over the past year.
