Lagos, -The President of the Nigeria Olympian Association (NOA), Henry Amike, told Nigerians on Thursday not to expect miracles from Nigerian athletes at the forthcoming Olympics Games in Brazil.
Amike made the statement in an interview with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Nigeria is expected to participate in nine sporting events at the upcoming Oylmpics, including football, basketball, athletics, wrestling, boxing, table tennis and weightlifting, among others.
The former quarter miller said the inability of the Federal Government to pass the 2016 budget into law remained one of the major challenges facing Nigeria’s preparation for the games.
“To be honest to ourselves we have not started preparation for the Olympics that is few months away.
“When our athletes’ travelled for major competitions we expect them to come back home with medals but seriously, nobody should expect any miracle form them at the Olympics, they are not magicians.
“There are things that should be looked into toward our preparation.
“ The unavailability of funds due to the delay in the passage of the 2016 budget is one of the major factors affect our preparation for the games.
“The truth is it is no longer new to us stakeholders in sports that we always operate this way.
The Olympian said that personal motivation of the athletes was the only factor that could see Nigeria winning any medal at the games.
“But despite shoddy preparations our athletes still put in their personal best to win laurel for the nation in international competitions.
“Should we win any medal in Rio, it will be the personal effort, sheer hard work and luck because we have not prepared for the games.
“We have countries that have been training for the games since the last games, four years ago in London but let’s hope luck will be on our side,’’ Amike stated.
The 2016 Olympic Games, slated for Rio de Janerio in Brazil, is scheduled to hold from Aug. 5 to Aug. 21. (NAN)