The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi hosted Team Nigeria wrestlers at the just concluded Paris Olympic Games while commending them for their patriotism and strong representation of the country, reaching the semi-finals and quarterfinals.
During a weekend event in Abuja, where he hosted the athletes and their officials, Adeniyi expressed confidence that with the right support and environment, the wrestlers will soon return to medal-winning form. He emphasized that the celebration of their efforts, despite the lack of medals, serves as an inspiration for younger athletes, demonstrating that the federation and the country value the dedication and hard work invested in every endeavour, regardless of the outcome.
“We stay together when we are happy and stay together when we are not happy. We have a very useful lesson to learn from the experience we had at the recently concluded Olympics in Paris. This reception, therefore, offers us the opportunity to come together to appreciate our athletes and officials for the effort it has taken them to go this far.
“The Olympics take place in one month every four years but we know that sometimes it takes about ten years for an athlete to prepare adequately for an Olympic. Our athletes and officials qualified for the Olympics which is the highest level of performance in the world, given their best and it was unfortunate that they were unable to win medals. But it is not the end of the world because we know that they have done it before and it is our belief that with the right support and environment, they will do it again.
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“Let me repeat again that it is not only when we win that we should have this kind of reception. We find it necessary for us to show our athletes and officials that we are indeed a federation and country that appreciates what they’ve done. We want to continue to encourage these athletes and to serve as a reference for the younger ones coming behind them that the federation and indeed the country will always appreciate the effort they put into any endeavour irrespective of the outcome,” CG Adeniyi said.
Sports development minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, who was present at the reception, commended the Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi and the president of Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Daniel Igali, for hosting the wrestling team.
Six wrestlers – one male and five females, represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
The wrestlers are Ogunsanya Christianah (53kg. WW), Kolawole Esther (62kg, WW), Adekuoroye Odunayo (57kg, WW), Reuben Hannah (76kg, WW), Oborududu Blessing (68kg, WW) and Mutuwa Ashton (US-based 125kg, FS).
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