Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 All Africa Games gold medallists, Odunayo Adekuoroye and Aminat Adeniyi are the only wrestlers who will represent Nigeria at the 2016 United World Wrestling Golden Grand Prix scheduled to kick off tomorrow in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The duo were scheduled to travel out on Tuesday night for the global championship alongside Purity Aku, the coach.
President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (MWF), Daniel Igali, who disclosed this to Tribunesport by phone on Tuesday, said the two wrestlers however, sponsored themselves to the competition as well as Akuh.
He stated that the remaining two wrestlers, Blessing Oborududu and Amas Daniel, who are also qualified for the Golden Grand Prix could not make the trip due to unavailablity of funds.
“They spoke with me a few hours ago that they were able to source for money to buy tickets and they will be travelling tonight [Tuesday]. They bought return tickets for N530,000. Coach Purity is also making the trip. It is pathetic,” Igali, a former international wrestler said.
He disclosed that despite the development, the other Nigerians who didn’t make the trip to Azerbaijan will have to pay fines in line with the regulations of the Golden Grand Prix.
“Each missing wrestler will have to pay (CHF 2000) about N800,000 as well as any official who fails to show up for cogent reasons. Originally, eight of us were to attend the Grand Prix, four wrestlers, two coaches, team doctor and the leader of the team. So, we can’t escape fines and even, the regulations also stipulated that a sanction may accompany the fines.
“Which one is helpful, for the country to pay N530,000 for a wrestler to make the trip or pay about N800,000 as fine after missing the Grand Prix? This competition is not new and we have been making efforts to get funds released long before now.
“The wrestlers and the officials only need flight tickets to travel as the organisers will take care of their feeding, accommodation and transportation expenses.
“Last year, Adekuoroye and Oborududu participated at the tourney and it was not a problem. We are representing Africa. Cameroon left for Azerbaijan this morning, Egypt, Tunisia and South Africa are there already. Is Nigeria the poorest country in Africa? For the athletes to go a begging for money to travel and represent the country is pathetic,” the Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medallist said.
The Bayelsa State-born Igali, said he is having sleepless nights over the kind of attention given to wrestling which is a multi-medal sport.
“If you look at the statistics, wrestling won one third of the 36 medals won by Nigeria at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. How do we prepare if our wrestlers don’t participate in major championships?
“Some of us have been high and dry, we have spent so much of our money to execute our programmes and people should know that this is not Daniel Igali federation. I have spent so much. I am not ready to spend anymore. I am also a human being and I try as much as I can to run wrestling in this country as it should be, but it is obvious that the people at the helm of affairs don’t see it the way we see it,” said the 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Meanwhile, according to the regulations, the Golden Grand Prix is mainly for medallists from the Senior World Championship, Senior American, Asian and European Championship and the Senior African and Oceania Championship.
It states that: “If the qualified countries do not participate in the Golden Grand Prix, except for unforeseen circumstances, the executive committee will sanction them and the sanction will be up to the prohibition to participate in the next continental championship and a 2000 CHF fine will be given per missing wrestlers.
“Each qualified wrestler will have to participate in the weight category where he was qualified. In case of injury, he can be substituted. A medical certificate will have to be sent to the United World Wrestling”.
Nigeria, it will be recalled, missed the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships held earlier this month in Singapore.
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