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Nigerian coaches, who were at last Thursday’s presentation and awards for Team Nigerian athletes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, have picked quarrels with the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare.
They accused the Minister and his advisers of relegating them to the background by not recognising their contributions to the success of the athletes that won medals for the country. The coaches also faulted the organisers of the presentation ceremony in Abuja, for making them stand on their feet throughout the ceremony, where President Muhammadu Buhari shelled out N200m to be shared by the athletes and their coaches.
The gold medalists were given N4.5m each and the two athletes who got national awards of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) were also given houses in Abuja. The coaches whose athletes won gold got N1.5m and this was another vexing issue for the athletes’ groomers.
“A coach like Kayode Yaya who has been working with Ese Brume over the years was present at the hall and he wasn’t even given a seat, talk less of giving him and the others a mention.
“All the coaches whose athletes won gold were not recognised,” said one of the coaches in attendance.
“Names of athletes were pasted on seats in the hall and not one coach was given a seat, they were asked to stand at the back.”
Commenting on the issue of Nigeria Track and Field Coaches Associations, Solomon Aliu said: “It is appalling; this is not the way it is supposed to be.
“People worked to make the athlete succeed. There is a chain… the medics, psychologists, welfare officers and on top of the chain is the coach.
