Nigerian shot put athlete Sade Olatoye has shed light on the financial struggles faced by her and her teammates as they prepared for the 2024 Olympics.
In an interview with NewsCentral, Olatoye revealed that the Nigerian government failed to provide any financial support during their four-year training period, leaving the athletes to bear the burden of expenses entirely on their own.
Olatoye stated that the athletes had to cover costs for everything from training and coaching to medical expenses and competition fees out of their own pockets.
“Pretty much every year, me and my teammates, everything is out of pocket.
“We pay for our own training, coaches, medical, competition, so everything is out of pocket,” she said.
Despite their efforts and dedication, they only became aware of potential government grants when they reached the championship stage.
However, these grants, she noted, were insufficient, barely covering two percent of the costs incurred over the years.
“It is not until we get to the championship that we start hearing about potential grants.
“I have been training for four years, being given the grant at the competition, which doesn’t pay for 2% of what I pay out of my pocket for four years of training.”
Meanwhile, News About Nigeria reported that the Ministry of Sports, through its Sports Development Minister, John Enoh, defended its efforts and vowed to investigate the reasons behind the poor performance of Nigerian athletes at the Paris Olympics.
Speaking on Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today, Enoh said he was disappointed that Team Nigeria returned without securing any medals.
He claimed that the government had invested over N8 billion in the competition, with some athletes receiving their payments in advance.
Enoh attributed the disappointing results to a lack of motivation, despite the significant financial outlay.
