Succour has come the way of 11 Nigerian athletes ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, after they were listed in the latest International Olympic Committee’s scholarship scheme.
The list is headlined by fast-rising 100 metres hurdler and Commonwealth Gold medallist, Oluwatobiloba Amusan, and Portugal-based table tennis star, Aruna Quadri.
The deal brokered by the Nigeria Olympic Committee also includes Commonwealth Games wrestling champion, Odunayo Adekuoroye, Blessing Oborodudu (wrestling), Nathaniel Onome (athletics) and Nathaniel Samson (athletics).
Others are Adeniyi Aminat (wrestling), Adesanmi Oluwatoyin (weightlifting), Italy-based table tennis talent, Omotayo Olajide and taekwondo duo Adamu Abubakar and Otuadinma Uzoamaka.
NOC president, Habu Gumel, described the gesture from the IOC as a welcome development.
“These 11 athletes were carefully selected out of the numerous applications from Nigerian athletes home and abroad. We would have wanted more slots, but we just had to make do with the available slots given to Nigeria by IOC,” he said.
Sequel to the Rio 2016 Olympics, 12 athletes including Blessing Okagbare, Ese Brume, Divine Oduduru, and Adekuoroye benefitted from the IOC scholarship.
