Published By Olukayode Idowu, Abuja
President, Commonwealth Games Nigeria, Habu Gumel, has promised Nigerians to expect a better performance at the next Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Gumel, gave this promise at the weekend in Abuja when the Commonwealth Games Baton was hosted by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing.
Gumel said Nigeria Team to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will do better than the last outing at Gold Coast.
He said: “Nigeria Team will do well and make the nation pride while in Birmingham, already we have started training. Some of the sports are qualifiers and some of them are not. I have already sent the list of about 22 sports that we are going to participate at the Games, arrangement with the organisers are on about accommodation and so many other preparations are on.
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“All arrangement is in top gear, training has started and even training outside the country will soon start. Nigeria has been doing well at the Commonwealth Games and we will surely continue in that tradition. We did very well at the Gold Coast Games and this time around we will do better than that.”
He said there need not be fear about funding of the Nigerian contingent to the Games, noting that. “The government of the day is assisting with the fund and the private sectors are doing their best with the funding.”
He said the introduction by the minister for adoption of an athlete is also working, adding that: “It worked well before we went to the Olympic and we believe it is equally going to work now.”
Gumel said: “I am however appealing to our multinationals to please come out and donate for sport development for you cannot leave everything to government because government has a lot to do and we are appealing to corporate bodies to donate part of their profit to sport.”
On her part, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing said Nigeria is the third country to receive the baton, which moves across the globe in 294 days before arriving back in Birmingham, covering 72 nations of the Commonwealth in the spirit of friendship, solidarity and values of the Commonwealth.
She noted that the Commonwealth is essentially about three principles; humanity, equality and diversity. We are in this game having diversity and inclusion by not having a separate disability game and parallel game as we have done with the Olympic, it is completely integrated, if you win a medal it counts exactly the same whether you are on the wheel chair or you are fully able.
She added that one important thing is that there are more medals for the women than the men at the Birmingham Games. 136 medals for the women and 130 for the men, and that best shows that the Commonwealth signifies the principles of diversity, inclusion and humanity.
