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The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has said it did not direct the nation’s foreign-based athletes going to the Rio Olympic Games to buy their own flight tickets.
Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung made the clarification in a statement yesterday following a purported mail asking athletes to buy their tickets to the Olympics, and which was said to have originated from the Ministry.
Barrister Dalung, who spoke through his Special Adviser, Media, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, stated that the Director, High Performance, Angie Taylor, had been saddled with the responsibility of arranging for flight tickets and movement of the foreign-based athletes to and from Rio.
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“We did not write any mail asking athletes to pay their way to Rio. As the overseers of sports in the country, it is our duty to take care of all our athletes. The letter did not come from us and we will investigate the writer of that letter. It does not represent our stand concerning the movement of athletes to Rio and the writer or anybody asking athletes to buy their tickets to Rio will be investigated. We ask Nigerians and athletes in particular to disregard the mail,” Dalung said.
The minister however regretted the embarrassment caused by the letter and asked athletes to remain focused on their build-up to the Rio Olympics Games.
