ABUJA – Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), says the commission’s focus for the 2014 Commonwealth Games is for Team Nigeria to surpass its 2010 Games’ performance.
Elegbeleye told newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja that the commission was preparing its athletes adequately to meet the target of improving on the 11 gold medals won in 2010.
“For the 2014 Commonwealth Games, I am not going to say we will win a particular number of medals.
“But all I will say is that while we won 11 gold medals at New Delhi in India in 2010, we won’t go below that or just achieve same this time around. Rather, we want to surpass that in Glasgow.
“Our target is to go beyond what we won in New Delhi. That is success. We must improve on our previous performance and not be on the same level or go below,’’ he said.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games will be held from July 23 to Aug. 3 at Glasgow in Scotland.
Elegbeleye said the country’s athletes in para-powerlifting, boxing, weightlifting, table tennis and wrestling have been participating in various international competitions to help prepare them adequately for the Games.
The NSC director-general said preparations were ongoing to ensure that athletes acquired the necessary exposure internationally before the Games.
“We are not just leaving our athletes for the Games, without preparing them. We believe in competition, the more you compete with others outside your environment, the more you have the confidence to go out for international competition,” he said.(NAN)
