Sports Briefs
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THE House of Representatives has pledged to reward the victorious Team Nigeria’s contingent to the Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil, with N18 million. Nigeria won eight gold, two silver and two bronze medals to finish 17th on the medals table and also emerged the best team from the African continent.
Each lawmaker in the 360-member house is expected to donate N50,000 towards the cash gift to the paralympians. The House is also planning to host a special plenary session in their honour. The resolution followed a motion moved by Ayo Omidiran (Osun APC) who noted that the paralympians deserve to be celebrated for their outstanding performances in spite of their physical challenges.
She added that the members of the team need the support and encouragement of the House. Meanwhile, the organisers of Nigeria’s prestigious sport award, Nigerian Sports Award, NSA, congratulated the contingent for emerging top African team at the competition.
According to Ikeddy Isiguzo, chairman of NSA panel, the Paralympic team deserves all applauds and accolades for winning eight gold, two silver and two bronze and breaking world records and setting new ones; thereby surpassing the laudable feat it achieved at the London Olympics in 2012.
Isiguzo urged sport loving Nigerians to nominate the Paralympic athletes and their coaches for the different categories in the 2016 edition of the NSA. He noted that only nominated athletes, sport administrators, team and coaches have the chance of winning the prestigious award, in recognition of their outstanding performance.
He also called on the sport ministry and the federal government to reward the Paralympics athletes and their coaches for raising the flag of the nation high at the games to encourage other Nigerian sports men and women to excel in their respective sports.
The chairman also used the medium to commend the effort of the Nigerian Under-23 football team captained by Chelsea FC midfielder John Mikel Obi and tutored by Coach Samson Siasia for winning a bronze medal which was Nigeria’s only medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
— Oct 3, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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