Nigeria’s Sports Minister, John Owan Enoh, has addressed the controversy surrounding the bicycle used by Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye at the Paris Olympic Games.
Ukpeseraye, the only African cyclist among the 30 competitors, caused a stir on social media when she thanked the German team for lending her a bicycle.
She had mentioned the lack of equipment and expressed her gratitude to the German team on Twitter.
In a statement, Minister Enoh explained the situation: “My attention has been called to a post on social media by Ese Ukpeseraye. After reading the post and some follow-up comments, I swung into action. Ese’s post seems to have been grossly misunderstood, perhaps also because it didn’t seem to give proper context to the matter in perspective.”
The Minister clarified that Team Nigeria had initially qualified for a road race in cycling and was prepared with the necessary equipment. However, two weeks before the Olympics, the Union Cycliste Internationale reallocated additional slots to Nigeria for the keirin and individual sprint events. These events required special equipment that would take months to deliver.
“For this track race reallocated to Team Nigeria, a very special equipment (approved specifically for the Olympic track game) is used. It’ll take months to have it delivered after ordering and making payment. To therefore get Ese to compete, the Federation through Ese’s Club in Europe and working with a German-owned Company, got a ‘Track Bike’ for our cycler Ese,” Enoh said.
The Minister confirmed that Ukpeseraye will compete in the individual sprint event on 9 August 2024, which she originally qualified for. “Tomorrow (Friday), the 9th of August 2024, Ese will race in an individual sprint, the race she originally qualified for,” he added.
Despite the challenges and mixed results at the Paris Olympics, Minister Enoh called for continued support for Nigerian athletes.
“Our athletes are giving their best and making us proud,” he said in a social media post. “D’Tigress made the nation proud, and there’s no shame in losing to the world’s number 1 ranked team. They struck a high note and made a statement even at the quarterfinal match with 74 – 88.”
He also praised other athletes like Uchenna Ogazi, who made the finals of the men’s 400m race after 36 years, and Favour Ofili for her strong performance.
With just two days left at the Paris Olympics, there is hope that Nigeria will still make it to the medals table.
(NAN)
