Despite a significant allocation of 12 billion naira for the Olympics, Nigerian shot put star Sade Olatoye has disclosed that athletes had to bear the financial burden of their own training, raising concerns about the management and distribution of funds meant to support the nation’s athletes.
In a recent interview with NewsCentral, Sade Olatoye revealed that she and her teammates received no financial support from the Nigerian government in their preparations for the 2024 Olympics.
When asked about the support they received, Olatoye stated that everything was self-funded, including training, coaching, medical expenses, and competition fees.
She emphasized that it wasn’t until they reached the championship stage that they heard about potential grants, which barely covered two per cent of their four-year training expenses.
Olatoye said “Pretty much every year, me and my teammates, everything is out of pocket.
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“We pay for our own training, coaches, medical, competition, so everything is out of pocket. It is not until we get to the championship that we start hearing about potential grants.
“I have been training for four years, being given the grant at the competition which doesn’t pay for 2% of what I pay out of my pocket for four years of training.”
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