Paris 2024: NOC President, Gumel Ready For Olympic Games

President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC),Engr. Habu Gumel has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for graciously approving needed funds for Team Nigeria ahead of Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Gumel was speaking at the symbolic occassion when he received 87 Team Nigeria athletes and other contigent from the Sport Minister, Senator John Enoh on Monday July 8 in Abuja at the VIP lounge of the MKO Abiola National Stadium.

He asked the Federal Government to make not only to engage private sectors in fund raising but budgetary provision for Olympic games from year to year and not only in an olympic year

“We are here as the Nigeria Olympic committee to take over the entire contingent of the Olympic games to Paris.

Winning an Olympic medal is an uphill task that requires deployment of strategy, time and resources. That is why the Nigerian Olympic committee have always been committed to support the effort of government by providing Olympic training scholarship for our athletes. 

In the principal found raiser for sports, we ask the federal government to make a budgetary provision for Olympic games from year to year, and not only in the year of the Olympic games. Therefore the preparation of Los Angeles Olympic games starts after Paris 2024, because to win gold medal in an Olympic game you have to train for a period of four solid years.”

The sexagenarian gave assurance that the 87 athletes that will be wearing the nation’s colours in France ,will run clean as worthy representatives .

“In receiving this Paris 2024 Nigerian delegation from the federal government today the Nigeria Olympic committee will like to reassure that we will be ambassadors of our great country.

It is important for us that we go to Paris with clean athletes and return with clean athletes. We don’t want any dirty medal, we want all clean medals.

We are going clean and assuring the public that we will come back clean”

Engr. Gumel commended the federal government for ensuring the Senate passed the anti-doping bill.

Team Nigeria will be in Paris with 87 athletes across 13 games, ranging from football, badminton, weightlifting, wrestling, athletics, basketball, canoeing, boxing, cycling, table tennis, taekwondo, and swimming.