As preparations intensify for the upcoming 2024 All African Games, Senator John Enoh, the Minister of Sports Development in Nigeria, has emphasised the paramount importance of ensuring top-notch nutrition and welfare support for Nigerian athletes.
Set to take place in Accra, Ghana, from March 8th to 23rd, 2024, the Ministry has announced the commencement of training camps in five distinct locations: Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Bayelsa, and Gombe.
Senator Enoh passionately implored vendors not to compromise national interests for personal gain, stressing that the Ministry would swiftly sever ties with any vendor failing to uphold quality standards in athlete services.
“I am appealing to you all not to sabotage the preparedness of our athletes because of profit-making,” remarked the Sports Minister.“I will make unannounced visits to the camp to personally see the standards in each camp. I know some vendors already have a relationship with the Ministry.”
“If we find out anyone cut corners in their job, it might lead to blacklisting such a person from our future engagements. I therefore appeal to everyone – I called this meeting because we don’t want complaints from camps about the quality of food and nutrition, or welfare of athletes.”
Drawing parallels with the seamless conclusion of the AFCON, the minister urged for a similarly smooth camping period in the coming weeks.
He emphasised that a victory for the nation signifies a collective triumph for all stakeholders, underscoring the necessity for unified efforts in pursuit of success. Nigeria is slated to compete in 25 sports, with 8 serving as Olympic qualifiers.
Nigeria boasts an illustrious history in the African Games, clinching a total of 1326 medals across 12 editions, positioning it as the second most successful nation in the Games’ annals, trailing only Egypt.