Disabled Athletes’ll Make Nigerians Smile—Amike

President of Nigeria Olympians Association, NOA,  Henry Amike has said Nigerians should expect a better outing from Team Nigeria’s athletes to the upcoming London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Amike, who spoke with P.MSports in his office at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos recently, said: “I have a feeling that Nigerian paralympic athletes to London 2012 Paralympic Games would bring back happy moments to Nigerian sports fans homes when the Games begin on Wednesday.

“With the calibre of athletes that would represent us in London, I have no doubt that they would win medals for the country in London, unlike, the supposetedly, able atheletes that were unable to win us medals at the Olympics.”

While responding to why Team Nigeria fail to win any medal at the just concluded London 2012 Olympics, the former 400m hurdles runner opined that lateness in release of funds for the multi-sports championship was the main reason the country’s athletes failed to perform to their potentials.

“There is no reason why Team Nigeria’s athletes should not be able to wim medals in London if not for inadequate funding and because the National Sports Commission, NSC, got funding only few months before the tourney.

“While many of those athletes that Team Nigera competed against had started preparation some years before the championship, while we only started real preparatioin of athletes in April, just 3 months before the Games. That would not fetch any nation a medal at the Olympics,” he said.

—Bamidele Olowosagba