The Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Enoh, said on Monday that President Bola Tinubu has approved the entire budget estimate submitted for Nigeria’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

Enoh, who did not mention the amount approved, said this on Monday at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, while handing over the Team Nigeria athletes to the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria (PCN).

The NOC and PCN are expected to take care of the team till the end of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, in France.

The Olympics is scheduled to hold between July 26 and Aug. 11, while the Paralympics will hold from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

The Minister said that the approval of the entire budget submitted for the Olympics and Paralympics was a sign of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the development of Sports in the country and his resolve to showcase Nigeria’s talents at international events.

”Part of what the president of our country has done was to approve the entire budget that was submitted for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

”We therefore, have no excuse to fail because we heard stories Olympics after Olympics, where there were request for certain amount of money were made and certain amount were approved.

”But in this case, the President has approved the entire budget, so, it is up to us and the athletes to try to reciprocate that gesture and encourage the president to do more

”This event, ordinarily is supposed to be hosted by the President and Commander-in-Chief, as the grand patron of sports in Nigeria. It is important that we state this fact and I stand here as the Minister of Sports representing the president.

”The President has continued to provide support and it took President Bola Tinubu to conclude things that have lasted over 20 years in the sports sector,” Enoh said.

According to the minister, there is no better time to surpass our record at previous Olympics especially the 1996 Games where Nigeria won two gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

”We must overcome our performance in Atalanta 1996 and we want to do so in a clean way; there is no better time to do so than now.

”We promised leadership and to tackle the challenge of anti-doping.
We try to fulfil the charter of the International Olympics Committee that requires a formal handover of athletes that have qualified for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The Minister commended the NOC and the Nigeria Paralympic Committee for qualifying athletes in 12 Olympics and four Paralympics sports respectively for the Paris 2024 Games.

He said that the athletes have benefited from high calibre coaching and technical support ahead of the games.

”Beyond those preparations, our sports men and women were part of the Commonwealth Games in 2022, competed in the African Games and also competed in the various international championships to get to where we are today.

”These are part of comprehensive efforts by the Olympic and Paralympic committees as well as the Ministry of Sports Development applying the available resources to make sure that our preparations are tight.

Enoh said henceforth preparation for the next Olympics and Paralympics would commence immediately after the 2024 Paris Games.

Also speaking, Chargé d’affaires, French Embassy in Nigeria, Jean François Hasperie, urged the athletes to be good ambassadors of Nigeria while in France.

”Tolerance, resilience, discipline are the qualities needed at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

He urged Team Nigeria to ensure podium finishes in all the sports the country would participate in.

Habu Gumel, President of NOC, assured the Federal Government that that Team Nigeria would do the country proud at the Games considering the level of preparation and funds already committed to the Games.

Gumel urged the Federal Government to make budgetary provisions for Olympics preparation on yearly basis to avoid fire brigade approach.

Ssports wear for Team Nigeria, specifically designed for the 2024 Paris Games, was unveiled at the event which saw sports administrators and Olympics-bound athletes in attendance.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have commenced preparations for their first appearance at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament after 16 years of non-participation in the tournament.

Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Head of Communications in a statement, said the team resumed camping in Spain on Friday with 18 players expected but only 12 have arrived as at Monday morning.

He said their camp in the city of Jerez de la Frontera outside Sevilla has come alive with most of the invited players in camp.

According to him, the team’s administrator Mary Oboduku who was quoted in the statement, two or more players are being expected in the afternoon.

“We started training on Sunday and the team’s camp at Hotel Barceló Montecastillo Golf and Resort is calm.

The players are in very high spirits as they look forward to the tournament in France,” Oboduku said.

Team captain Rasheedat Ajibade and first-choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie are at the head of the squad already in camp, with goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi, defenders Chidinma Okeke and Nicole Payne.

Midfielders Christy Ucheibe, Toni Payne, Deborah Abiodun, Jennifer Echegini, and forward Esther Okoronkwo are also in camp alongside alternate players, goalkeeper Morufa Ademola and forward Gift Monday.

Defenders Osinachi Ohale and Michelle Alozie were being expected at the team’s hotel Monday afternoon.

The nine-time African champions, who last played at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in China in 2008, will take on reigning Olympic champions Canada in a training match in Sevilla on July 17.

Canada’s ladies defeated their counterparts from Sweden 3-2 after a penalty shootout, following a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time, to clinch the gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.

In their last outing at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, the Falcons lost 0-1 to Korea Democratic People’s Republic, 0-1 to Germany and 1-3 to eventual silver medallists Brazil.

Women’s football debuted at the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1996, but the Super Falcons made their entry in 2000 in Australia

They lost 1-3 each to China, eventual winners Norway and eventual silver medalists USA.

Perpetua Nkwocha scored the lone goal against China while Mercy Akide was the scorer against both Norway and USA.

Nigeria’s best outing – so far – at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament was in Athens 20 years ago, where the Super Falcons finished in 6th place after exiting the tournament in the quarter-finals.

Falcons are in Group C alongside Spain, Brazil and Japan in the tournament scheduled to begin on July 26 to Aug. 11.

Defeat for Portugal at the European Championship on Friday likely brought down the curtain on the extraordinary international career of Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Portugal’s totemic forward has made no pronouncements on his future with the national team, the 39-year-old struggled to revive former glories at the tournament in Germany.

He departed Euro 2024 without scoring apart from in shootouts.

Portugal lost 3-5 to France on penalties in their quarter-final.

This was after a goalless stalemate in which Ronaldo missed a glaring chance in extra time but converted one of the kicks in the shootout.

“It’s too soon and raw after the match to talk about that and there have been no individual decisions made,” coach Roberto Martinez said when asked if it had been Ronaldo’s last game in a Portugal jersey.

There will forever be debates about where he sits among the greatest footballers.

In or behind the exulted company of three-times World Cup winner Pele or the extraordinary talent of Diego Maradona or long-time rival Lionel Messi.

All of them won the World Cup, which Ronaldo has not, but in terms of statistics in national team colours the 39-year-old is out there on his own.

Friday’s loss to France at the Volksparkstadion was Ronaldo’s 212th cap, significantly ahead of Messi who won his 185th for Argentina against Ecuador in the Copa America on Thursday.

Ronaldo’s 130 goals for his country is also way out on its own at the head of most scored in international football, with Messi recently moving second on the list with 108.

“Cristiano is in the national team of Portugal because he deserves to be,” Martinez had said earlier in the tournament.

In terms of longevity few can match Ronaldo, who debuted for Portugal in 2003.

He was 18 years-old when he came on at halftime to replace Luis Figo in a friendly against Kazakhstan in front of roughly 8,000 in Chaves.

Days earlier he had signed for Manchester United, convincing manager Alex Ferguson of his potential after tormenting the team’s defence in a pre-season friendly.

By the next year he was a regular for Portugal as they hosted Euro 2004, upset in the final by Greece.

He is the first to play at six European Championships and his 14 goals in 30 matches is also a Euros record.

He won the trophy in 2016 when Portugal beat hosts France in the final.

Ironically, in Portugal’s Euros triumph Ronaldo went off early in the decider in Paris in tears with a knee injury.

If you add his goals in Euro qualifying, Ronaldo has scored 55 times in the competition, with Harry Kane next on 29.

At the World Cup, Ronaldo has played 22 times, scoring eight goals in five tournaments, while Messi has played four times more and has the appearance record.

In the 21 years Ronaldo has played for Portugal, they have not missed out on qualifying for the World Cup, with a semi-final place in 2006 their best return.

That year, Ronaldo netted the decisive penalty to beat England in the quarter-finals.

It has been an extraordinary career, highlighted by five Ballon d’Or awards, and it is not over yet … certainly not at club level.

Ronaldo top-scored with 35 goals in the Saudi league last season and has another year’s contract at Al Nassr.