Majority of Nigerian athletes, may likely miss the early stage of the Commonwealth Games billed for Birmingham, England, due to failure to secure British visas.
As disclosed to newsmen by the official, only Tobi Amusan has UK visa as many of the athletes that participated at the just-concluded Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championships in the United States.
However, the first batch of Team Nigeria’s athletes to the Commonwealth Games, who left the country on Friday, have already settled down in Birmingham ahead of commencement of the event on July 28.
Newsmen learnt yesterday, that apart from sprint hurdler, Tobi Amusan, all other athletes based in the United States were yet to get results of their biometric for the UK visa, which they did in various locations across the United States.
An official, hinted that the development is giving the athletes and their coaches sleepless night.
“Some of our athletes are scheduled to depart Eugene, Oregon for Birmingham, venue of the Commonwealth Games tomorrow (today), but as we speak, they have not received the result of their biometrics.
“Only Amusan has seen her own. This may disrupt our plan for the Commonwealth Games,” the official said. Newsmen recalls that a group of Nigerian athletes left through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, while others left through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday.
Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, the president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel and the Chef de Mission to the Games, Dr. Simon Ebhojiaye, were on hand to see off the team that left through Abuja.
The minister charged the athletes to be focused, disciplined and conscious of the fact that they are carrying the aspirations and hopes of over 200 million Nigerians.
Ninety-four athletes and 21 officials will represent Nigeria in nine sports at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s quartet of Joy Udo-Gabriel, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Grace Nwokocha gallantly finished fourth in the final of the women’s 4x100m relay event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships with a new African record of 42.22 seconds.
