Olympics: Senate To Probe Dalung, NOC Over Team Nigeria’s Performance
Solomon Dalung, Sports Minister[/caption]
The Nigerian Senate on Thursday, said it will probe Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung and the Nigerian Olympics Committee (NOC) following the country’s horrible performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
This was disclosed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba, who noted that a lot of factors contributed to team Nigeria’s woeful failure at the games.
“My committee intends to invite the NOC to come and brief us on the Olympics. Apart from the late arrival of our athletes’ kits, you can see even our national anthem at the opening ceremony was the wrong one. So, all these, we are going to find out what happened when we resume,” Ogba said.
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It will be recalled that the team was dogged by administrative and logistic mishaps in the build up to the games and at the event itself.
The football team was stuck in Atlanta for five days due to flight issues while the whole team had to appear at the opening ceremony in tracksuits after their attires arrived three days to the closing ceremony.
Nigeria managed to secure only one medal through the Dream Team VI, who defeated Honduras in the third-place game of the football event to win bronze.
Ogba further criticised the football team for collecting $390,000 donation by a Japanese plastic surgeon, Dr. katsuya Takasu, without knowing the source of the money.
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“I don’t think it was nice for our country to accept such money given the happenings around world now. Money is good but it’s not every money that comes your way that you collect. So, I associate myself fully with the President of the Nigeria Football Federation,” the senator added.
