Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, International Olympic Committee (IOC) has extended its scholarship scheme to eight Nigerian athletes as the countdown to the XXXIII Olympiad gets underway.
The list is headlined by 100 metres hurdler and reigning Commonwealth gold medallist, Oluwatobiloba Amusan who also won the 100m Hurdles title at the Diamond League and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, Ese Brume.
Other star athletes on the Scholarship list include, Aruna Quadri who has shot himself into reckoning as the first African Table Tennis player to play in the quarter finals of the Olympics and recently became the first African player to reach the semi-final of the World Table Tennis Star Contender Championship in Qatar.
Under the scholarship scheme, athletes will receive monthly payment until the Paris 2024 Olympics, due to open on Friday, July 26 2024, and ends on Sunday, 11 August.
Also on the list are two of Nigeria’s best female Wrestlers, Olympic Silver medallist Blessing Oborodudu and Freestyle sensation, Adekuroye Odunayo and Taekwondo star, Elizabeth Anyanacho as well as Imaobong Uko(Athletics) and Offiong Edem(Table Tennis).
An overjoyed Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Banji Oladapo, said that the scholarship was an indication that Team Nigeria’s light at Paris Olympics could glow brighter than expected.
”We congratulate these eight athletes for earning scholarships as they focus on their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics. All these athletes need to do is to focus on their training and set their goal towards the Paris Olympics. The NOC is always ready to ensure that Nigerian athletes benefit from the IOC as ‘their welfare remains our highest priority’,” Oladapo emphasised.
The scholarship according to Oladapo, will include access to appropriate training facilities with coaches who specialise in their respective disciplines, regular medical and scientific assistance, accident and illness insurance, pocket money, and travel costs for the athletes’ participation in relevant competitions and qualification events.
