World Athletics U20: Athletes urge Sports Minister to fulfil cash reward promise
Team Nigeria achieved its best performance in the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Kenya.
By Olukayode Thomas
Team Nigeria athletes that did the nation proud at the 2021 World Athletics U-20 World Championship in Nairobi Kenya are appealing to Sports Minister, Sunday Dare to immediately fulfilled his promise of cash rewards to medalists.
“Please help us appeal to the Sports Minister to redeem his pledge after six months. 2022 is the year of the Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships. We need the money for our build-up and training since the government is not giving us any training grants” said one of the athletes who does not want to be named.
Team Nigeria achieved its best performance in the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Kenya.
They finished third on the overall medals table. They won four gold and three bronze medals.
Host Kenya won the championship and Finland was second.
The Scandinavians narrowly usurped Team Nigeria from the second position with four gold and a silver medal as Kenya topped with 16 medals — eight gold, one silver and seven bronze.
Dare in August 2021 announced cash awards of $5000 for Gold, $3000 for Silver and $2000 for Bronze medals.
Contacted on Sunday SA Media to the Sports Minister Toyin Ibitoye confirmed that the money would have been paid before now but some people with the knowledge of how the American Collegiate System work advised the Ministry against paying students who are under scholarship since they can’t receive cash from other sources while they are on scholarship.
An athletic buff however disagrees he believed the ministry probably contacted the wrong people who don’t know how the American Collegiate system works or are being stingy with the truth.
“The students in the USA among the medalists like Favour Ofili, Imaobong Uko, Imaobong Nse and others could still be paid. Students on scholarships in the US get money from performances regularly, the money will just be kept in a special trust fund for them until they graduate. So anybody telling them that collegiate students on scholarship can’t be paid money is not saying the truth.
“Secondly, if they claimed the students in the US can’t be paid because of NCAA rule what about the home-based runners like Opeyemi Oke, Ella Onjuvwevwo, Johnson Nnamani, Bamidele Ajayi and others. What is stopping their payment? I think the Sports Minister must redeem his image by honouring his words. ‘’When he was appointed minister, he promised to pay the allowances of coaches and athletes that were in London 2017 and Qatar 2019 World Championships that Ibrahim Gusau board did not pay. Till date, the Minister has not paid a kobo. I don’t believe his words again.
Former track queen Mary Onyali also an SA to the Minister said, “the promise made to them is still alive. I have spoken to some of them they should just be patient’’.
