N300 million on athletes and their officials who made the
country proud at different international competitions in
2014.
Jonathan announced the cash rewards at a reception in
honour of the 351 sports men and women at the Banquet
Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among the
athletes were those who participated in the African Senior
Athletics Championships in Marrakech, Morocco, and the
Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Others were participants in the African Youth Games in
Gaborone, Botswana; the World Junior Athletics
Championships in Oregon, USA, and the 2014 FIFA Female
U-20 Football World Cup in Montreal, Canada.
The list included athletes in the Partille World Handball
Youth Championships, in Sweden; the World Power lifting
championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the
African Shooting Championship in Cairo, Egypt.
Also on the list were participants in the African Senior
Wrestling Championship and the African Junior Wrestling
Championship.
In a remark, Jonathan reassured Nigerians that his
administration was determined to ensure that all sectors of
national life were given the necessary motivation to achieve
set goals.
Jonathan gave the assurance while hosting the country’s
athletics and officials who emerged victorious at different
international competitions in 2014.
He noted that the athletes’ achievements attested to the fact
that with adequate preparation and motivation, Nigerians
could surmount all obstacles to attain set goals.
According to him, government will continue to appreciate
and reward excellence to serve as inspiration to those who
are called to represent the country.
While savouring the achievements of the athletes, the
president recalled that the journey to the present was not
easy.
“Realising the significance of sports in national
transformation, I took the decision to organise a retreat for
the sports sector in 2012.
“This arose from my conviction that our outing at the 2012
Olympic Games did not represent full potential.
“Of course, if you look at the continent of Africa, we have the largest population; we are highest in terms of diversity and our economy is also the largest.
“In any competition in Africa, third position is not good enough for us because in all the other parameters we are never third.
“I am happy to note that things have progressively changed for the better since that retreat,” he said.
Jonathan commended that National Sports Commission for the “dedicated implementation” of the decisions taken at
that retreat.
The president noted that the exploits of the athletes had gone a long way in further boosting the country’s image in the comity of nations.
He added that their zeal and dedication were remarkable and Nigeria’s flag was raised high to the delight and glory
of all citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment