Nigeria Olympic Committee President, Engineer Habu Gumel has stated that the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the summer of 2021 is supposed to spur Nigerian athletes into preparing better and achieving great results come next year. Hosts Japan, and the International Olympic Committee on Monday, March 30, 2020, announced July 23-August 8, 2021 as the new date for the postponed Olympics which was originally scheduled to start from July 24, 2020, until the spread of the corona virus to almost every part of the globe. Gumel believes that both athletes that have qualified and the ones seeking qualification will have enough time to put themselves back in shape once the corona virus pandemic is over.
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Further commenting, Gumel believes that the new Olympic date is a sign that there is still hope for sports despite the effects of the virus and emphasized that Monday’s announcement is a silver linen silver linen across a gloomy sky as the globe continues the fight against the pandemic. The treasurer of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) equally noted that postponing the Olympics is a renewed hope for athletes, coaches, government, and investors as preparations continue for the global showpiece.
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The IOC is aware that all Olympic Movement stakeholders and the athletes face significant challenges in securing the final qualification places for the Tokyo Games…Even in some countries, athletes are finding it difficult to continue their regular training schedules but the IOC has reassured that all the athletes will have their time for the qualification window as new dates will be made available very soon so as to give clarity to all the actions…The Nigeria Olympic Committee is equally hopeful for speedy solutions to the health challenges posed by Covid-19…On a brighter side, we all can take advantage of the extended period to adequately prepare our contingent for a glorious outing at the Tokyo Olympic Games
Engr. Habu Gumel
To ensure that all stakeholders are abreast of plans concerning the Olympics next year, the IOC, has established a Task Force with the code name ‘’Here We Go.’’
Source:
All Africa
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