By AYOMIDE JAYEOBA
Former minister of Sports, Mallam Bala Bawa Kaoje has blamed the poor outing of Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on lack of administrative support for athletes.
Team Nigeria placed 78th on the medals table, winning a bronze medal in the men’s football event at the just concluded Olympic Games in Rio.
“Government should be the main umpire for financial support. People should not only blame the sport administrators, but the leadership in this country that failed in their responsibility to provide adequate financial support to sport development,” Kaoje said on Brila FM.
In a similar vein, former D’Tigers’ captain, Olumide Oyedeji slammed the sports administrators for the woeful display of Team Nigeria in Rio.
The 2011 All Africa Games gold medalist blamed the poor outing of Nigerian athletes on the bad treatment received in the hands of the sport administrators.
“While these administrators feed fat, the athletes suffer, they embezzle money meant for the athletes, so, how do we expect these athletes to perform when they are badly treated,” he fumed.
Oyedeji, however, advised the administrators to see sport not as a mere entertainment, but a real business.
“Sports should be seen as a serious business and not a mere means of entertainment.”