10th May, 2012
President of Athletics Federtion of Nigeria, AFN, Solomon Ogba has once again expressed confidence in the ability of Nigerian track and field athletes to perform well at the 2012 Olympics holding in London, from 27 July through 12 August, 2012.
Revealing this yesterday, Ogba said the AFN board has put all logistics in place to ensure that Nigerian athletes do not fail the country at the summer Games.
According to the former Delta State Commissioner of Sports, Team Nigeria would not only fly the country’s flag high in London, but surpass the previous achievements of the country at the last Olympics held in 2008 in Beijing.
He said: “We are presenly preparing our athletes for the challenges ahead of them at their training camp in Atlanta, USA, where our top rated athletes are being trained by one of the best coaches in the world.
“Not forgeting that we still have some of the home-based runners back in the country, who are under good hands too. We believe that we have what it takes, technically, to prepare them for the Games right here in the country.
“We didn’t just start the project this year. What we are doing now is what we have started two years ago and I believe we will do better than what we did in Beijing, God willing.”
Ogba further stated that the federation would not jeopardise the country’s chances of winning medals in London, as they would ensure that the athletes are well motivated in terms of financial rewards to get the best performance from them for the country.
—Bamidele Olowosagba