President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel on Tuesday in Abuja advised athletes to stay away from drugs in their quest to win laurels for the country.
Gumel told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) there was the need for this especially as Nigeria was preparing for the 11th All-Africa Games (AAG) and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
He said athletes and coaches should stay away from drugs because it was capable of distorting sports development in the country.
“We have a trip to make to Congo, and another one to Samoa. We also have a trip to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. These three trips are very important. These are trips all stakeholders in the sports sector must work hard for and ensure we make this country proud through them. Therefore, discipline should be instilled in our athletes, coaches and the other officials,” he said.
Gumel also said, “We have to be good ambassadors of Nigeria. The coaches must ensure that our athletes are not involved in the issue of drugs. It is better you do your best naturally and win a medal without taking any drug.
“We should try to go there clean and return clean. It is very important we must be good ambassadors of the country. We have been having series of discussions to make sure that the interest of our country is protected at all these events. On our part as officials, we will do our best to ensure smooth participation in all the competitions.” (NAN)
•Photo shows Gumel
NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.
