President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel has said that winning a medal by Team Nigeria at the ongoing Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea is not a priority.
Nigeria are one the eight African countries featuring in the Winter Olympics and are being represented by Similade Adeagbo (skeleton) while the trio of Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga will compete in bobsled.
“If there is a medal it will be good for us but even if there is no medal, participation is key. It is very important because you have to qualify before you can participate.
“If the medal comes we will be happy and we will go home and jubilate even if there is no medal we will still go home and jubilate,” Gumel said in an interview with AIPS. The NOC boss noted that Nigeria’s qualification for the Games alone was a no mean achievement.
“It means great. It means history and it’s very important to the country that during my own time Nigeria is participating in the Winter Olympics for the first time.
“I believe every Nigerian is proud of this and that is the reason why when the young girls were in Nigeria they were received by many people, many delegations. The government is happy, the NOC is happy, everybody is happy and that’s why we are here to give them all the necessary support to make sure that they participate well,” he added.
Gumel said NOC would try and popularise bobsled in Nigeria with this development.
“As of now we are trying to properly establish the national federation of Bobsled and Skeleton. After we do that, we, as the NOC, will give the national federation all the support we can in its developmental programmes.
“We have just started for the first time and I believe this will not be the end of it. It is not a hit and run affair. We are in for it and we will continue to be because these are not the only girls that will be participating every now and then, more and more are going to join.
“Everybody is talking about Nigeria. There is no snow in Nigeria, we don’t have winter, yet our athletes are participating here in the Winter Olympic Games. It is very important,” Gumel, who is also the president of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVF) said.
Nigeria will compete in two sports at the Games and Simidele Adeagbo would kick off proceedings in skeleton at 12:20pm (Nigeria time) on Friday.
The women official training heat for bobsled begins on Saturday, while the Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung is expected in South Korea on Monday.
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