The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has affirmed that Nigeria could only assemble the best athletes in an open national trial where everyone will be given equal opportunity to qualify for the Olympics.
“Don’t forget that we would have the national trials in June and everybody, both home-based and foreign-based must show up. If you don’t show up, you will not make the Nigerian team to the Olympics,” he said.
The minister described the national trials as an important avenue to determine the best of Nigerian athletes to be selected for international meets.
“National trials are very important and any athlete that does not come will not make Team Nigeria, that is how important the national trials is. It is almost the second to the final point where we select our final list of athletes and after that it is the African championship in Algiers. Even before I became the minister, the national trials played an important role in the selection of our team and every athlete knows that,” Dare said.
He urged the athletes to remain focused and avoid distractions.
“Nigeria would be at the Olympics, God willing and I’m confident that the athletes will put in their very best and make Nigeria proud,” Dare stressed.
