President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the athletes and team ambassadors of Nigeria to be worthy representatives of the country during the oftrhcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio. He has also instructed them to keep the integrity of the country intact by competing clean and fair at the Olympics, without involving themselves with drugs or doping.

The President spoke Tuesday in Abuja while handing over the Team Nigeria athletes (which comprises of 49 male athletes and 29 female athletes in 10 sport disciplines) and officials to the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC). The President also assured that the Federal Government is committed to the successful participation of the athletes at the Rio Olympics.

Buhari advised the athletes and delegates to utilise the funds given to them by the government judiciously, given the nation’s dwindling revenue and the current global economic challenges. He further warned that “any official who has no business at the Games should stay at home to cheer the team from here and if they must travel to the Olympics, they should do so at their own expense.”

In his words, “As the Federal Government formally hands over our athletes and officials for the Rio Olympics to the Nigeria Olympic Committee today, I want to charge all athletes and team officials going to the Olympic Games to be worthy ambassadors of our great country, both on the field of play and outside the sporting arena. The eyes of the global community are on you and as such, you should desist from acts that could dent the image of our great country, Nigeria.

“You are very aware of recent doping allegations which cast aspersions not only on the individual athletes but on their home countries. Please keep Nigeria clean. The menace of drug use in sports is threatening the core foundation of sports and has led to embarrassing situations as well as sanctions of some great sporting nations. I therefore urge you to keep the integrity of our nation intact by competing clean and fair at the Olympic Games.

“We are all aware of our nation’s dwindling revenue and the current global economic challenges. It is therefore imperative that funds provided for the Games are utilised judiciously. In this regard, any official who has no business at the Games should stay at home to cheer the team from here and if they must travel to the Olympics, they should do so at their own expense.”

Buhari finally charged the athletes to bring back medals home, but again stated that “it is more important to compete and acquit your country as a fair sporting nation than to bring a pack of medals as a result of bending the rules and denying the Games of fair competition.”

He assured the athletes of the support of over 170 million sports-loving Nigerians, as they do their fatherland proud.

•Photo shows President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in a group photograph with some members of Team Nigeria to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.

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