Rio Olympics: Senate to probe Sports Minister, NOC

DISTURBED by the controversies arising from Nigeria’s poor outing in the just concluded Rio Olympics in Brazil, where it won only a bronze medal in men’s football, the Senaqte has said it will probe the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung and the National Olympics Committee,Dalung


NOC, over their roles in the event. This is even as it frowned at the U-23 football team for accepting cash donation from a Japanese philanthropist for their Bronze Medal victory.


Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Obinna Ogba, PDP, Ebonyi South, disclosed this, yesterday, during an interview with journalists in Abuja .



Ogba, who was part of the official delegation to Brazil, said a lot of factors ranging from funding to logistics contributed to Nigeria’s no-show performance at the Olympics Games, saying that the Senate will look into the circumstances when it resumes from recess next month.

“My committee intends to invite the NOC to come and brief us on the Olympics. Apart from the late arrival of our athletes’ kits, you can see even our national anthem at the opening ceremony was the wrong one. So, all these, we are going to find out what happened when we resume,” Ogba said.

On the donation of $390,000 to the Olympic Football team by a Japanese plastic surgeon and football enthusiast, Dr. katsuya Takasu, the lawmaker said it was wrong of the team to receive the money because its source was unknown.

“I don’t think it was nice for our country to accept such money given the happenings around the world now. Money is good but it’s not every money that comes your way that you collect. So, I associate myself fully with the President of the Nigeria Football Federation,” he noted.

Source: By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke, Abuja - Vanguard