‘18 Nigerian athletes are on IOC/ANOC/ANOCA scholarships’

The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) yesterday said no fewer than 18 athletes were currently benefiting from scholarships from international bodies, including the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), Olympic Solidarity and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).

NOC Secretary-General, Tunde Popoola, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that these were remarkable development for the nation’s sports, explaining that of the 20 athletes that the NOC nominated for the Olympic Solidarity scholarship, 11 were awarded, while six were currently befitting from that of ANOC awards.

“For the ANOCA continental scholarship, only one athlete is benefiting from this. The six are getting 1,000 dollars monthly, 11 will get 900 dollars monthly, while the lone athlete under the ANOCA scheme will get 10,000 dollars monthly,’’ he said.

Popoola added that the athletes would use scholarships to boost their individual profiles, adding, “some of the recipients are Olympic-bound athletes. They will use the money to equip themselves for better performance.

“These are some of the benefits that the best athletes get; these sponsorship are not just for everyone but the very best athletes.’’