The Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, has stressed that Nigerian athletes need the support of private sector and rich individuals to be among the best in the world.
He noted that the performances recorded by the athletes at the Tokyo Olympic Games were enough testimony to the fact that there are potential champions in the country across various sports.
Dare insisted that, since many of the athletes were young, the future is bright for Team Nigeria at continental and global games to be among the best.
The minister said: “There is much to hope for the future. In Tokyo, Most of our athletes were young and debutants – first time Olympians. They gave their all. If only we can support them in a sustained manner, they will give us future Olympic medals and raise high the flag of Nigeria at all venues of international sports competition.
“We have started building a new generation of young Nigerian athletes who will benefit immensely from the Nigerian Sports Industry Policy which will be placed before the Federal Executive Council for approval shortly.
“This policy will unleash the economic potential of our sports sector following President Buhari’s reclassification of sports as a business, away from recreation.