Commonwealth Games: Compete Clean, Gumel Urges Birmingham 2022-bound Athletes

Commonwealth Games: Compete Clean, Gumel Urges Birmingham 2022-bound Athletes

By Our Reporter

President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Alhaji Habu Gumel, has advised Nigerian athletes that will be competing in the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be hosted by Birmingham City in the United Kingdom to stay away from drugs and compete clean.

The NOC President stated this on Monday while declaring open a two-day event organised by Athletes Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), an affiliate of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which was held at the Package A of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

Gumel reminded the athletes on the need to compete clean saying President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare are both keen on competing transparently. He said the programme is one of the numerous ones by the NOC which is targeted at Nigerian athletes at home and in diaspora.

"Our athletes must at any given time compete clean, it is important. We cannot go outside Nigeria to go and destroy the image of our country and the athletes also destroy themselves in the process because the banned substance is not good for them. You can be natural and still win whatever you want to win. The NOC will continue to encourage and support athletes' development within the limit of our resources," Gumel said.

He added that one of the key objectives of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) is to see athletes develop as ambassadors and representatives of the core values of the Olympic movement which is driving for excellence, showing respect to one another and promoting global friendship.

The chairman of the Athletes Commission, a former D'Tigress captain, Olumide Oyedeji, said the  seminar is very important as athletes prepare for the Commonwealth 

Games. He said the discussion at the seminar would centre on WADA doping regulations, the Athletes Commission election which will be the first in Nigeria, sport psychology and injury in sports, life in sports and life after sports.

He however lay emphasis on educating and motivating athletes for better performance.