By Uzor Odigbo
Ireland based Olympian Moses Orode Oyuki has congratulated Nigeria’s gallant AthIetics Relay Teams for gaining four 2024 Parish Olympics Relay tickets.
The Former 110m hurdles champion also instructed that now the slots are won, winning medals through preparations of the AthIetes should be strongly emphasized on.
Oyuki who is a practicing lawyer said, ” Our athletes have done wonderfully well at the World Relays in the Bahamas to qualify for all the relays except for the women’s 4×400 m for now. I understand that they have until 30 June 2024 to qualify.
According to him, “Qualifying is one thing but to medal is another. Our mixed relay can do better than the fourth place they placed in the final. How I wish I can co-opt Rashidat Adeleke my Irish sister into the Nigerian team.”
The Atlanta’96 Olympics Games attendee said hard work starts now. “Let the AFN through its technical committee headed by our amiable TD Samuel Onikeku ensure that athletes are chosen by merit. So also are the coaches and other officials”.
He reiterated that to stumble twice over the same obstacle is a proverbial disgrace our elders informed us. “This is the time to ensure that all the regulatory matters with World Athletics and World Anti Dope Agency WADA have been complied with by the AFN, our athletes and officials. Let also ensure that we have complied with all the requirements by the Olympics Committee.
“The athletes should ensure they know the list of prohibited drugs for 2024 as published by WADA on their website. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
“Some of our athletes suffered trauma and psychological breakdown when they qualified for the last Olympics in Tokyo Japan but they couldn’t compete. It was disastrous and highly scandalous. Let anyone who knows anything about the rules and regulations advise the TD and the technical committee now about any potential danger. They are not omniscient, that is all knowing”
The AFN and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) he emphasized should ensure that our athletes, coaches and other officials are properly camped, catered for, and their entitlements settled upfront so that the ball will be in their court to perform, insisting that a word is enough for the wise”.
