Don’t Rely On NSC For Medals, Badmington Coach Tells Team Nigeria

A badminton coach, who trained two junior medalists at the just-concluded Ibile Games 2012, Greg Sylvester, has advised Nigerian athletes to be ready to fight for medals at the London Olympic Games.

He said only individual performance by the athletes can guarantee them medals at the Olympics, warning them not to rely on the government for support.

In a chat with P.M.Sports, Sylvester said that potential winners at the Olympics work on themselves and do not rely only on the government for support to win medals.

“Athletes who want to win medals at the Olympics must be ready to work on themselves. Olympic winners don’t rely solely on the government for support before they begin to work on themselves,” Sylvester said.

He said: “Some serious athletes who will feature at the Olympics must have started their personal preparations before the various camps were opened. These athletes will not wait for the government before they begin their own preparations.”

However, Sylvester appealed to the government to provide modern training facilities in order to enhance the development of the sport in the country.

“Most badminton players are not doing well because there are no adequate training facilities in the country. Those that are doing well are the ones that are plying their trades outside the country.

“The government needs to address this issue urgently before it gets out of hand. The government must make the enviroment conducive so that more people can join the sport,” Sylvester added.

—Bimbo Ajayi