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By Monica Iheakam
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday officially invited Nigeria alongside other 202 countries to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
IOC President, Thomas Bach sent out the invitations to 203 countries out of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in a ceremony held in Paris, the host city, even as the Olympic governing body excluded Russia, Belarus.
The invitation to participate is sent a year before the competition. Guatemala, which is suspended by the IOC, did not receive the invitation either.
The invitation ceremony, which featured several performances celebrating French culture, also saw the IOC’s Paris 2024 Coordination Commission Chair, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet outline the latest progress that has been made in organising next year’s Olympic Games, while expressing their excitement and anticipation as preparations enter their final year.
Bach is on a three-day visit to the French capital to mark the one-year-to-go milestone on Wednesday.
“In accordance with the Olympic Charter it is my great honour and pleasure to mark this important milestone today by inviting the athletes of the world to come together in Paris, France, to celebrate the Games of the 33rd Olympiad,” Bach said.
