The Federal Government has assured its commitment towards a successful outing and the welfare of athletes as the 33rd Olympic and Paralympic Games draw near.
The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, dropped the hint while fielding questions from journalists during a media parley held at the media center of the moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja on Thursday.
While commending the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its unprecedented support for the sports sector, the Minister revealed that N12 billion has been approved by the federal government.
“The budget is divided into two parts; N9 billion for the Olympics, while over N3 billion has been earmarked for the Paralympics,” the Minister said.
Stressing further, the Minister said, “There are various provisions for the athletes and their welfare in the budget and before the team leaves for Paris, I am going to have the opportunity of visiting them.”
Senator Enoh assured that the ministry would use every machinery to ensure that the welfare of the athletes is made paramount before and after the games. “All allowances for local camping have been paid while that of the foreign camping would be paid soon,” he maintained.
As a way of motivating the athletes, the Minister promised to reveal to them the A to Z of all their entitlements during his planned visit to the camp in Germany, just as he did in Accra, Ghana during the 13th Africa Games.
The Minister assured that all the athletes have been insured for the Olympics and expressed optimism that they would compete clean, especially with the passage into law of the anti-doping WADA rule.
The 33rd Paris Olympics is scheduled to hold from July 26 to August 11, while the Paralympics is expected to take place from August 28 to September 8 in France.
