The Chairman, Nigerian Olympians Association (NOA), Olumide Oyedeji, on Thursday, announced plans by the group to honour no fewer than 15 Olympians who have represented Nigeria since 1952.
Oyedeji disclosed this at a press briefing at the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) conference room, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Speaking at the interactive session, the former Basketball Star and an Olympian, Oyedeji outlined the various plans of the association aimed at uplifting the welfare of its members.
The NOA is made up of current and past Nigerian Olympic athletes with a mission to pursue the interest of its members and address their welfare.
Oyedeji said that the association wanted to create another vista which would encourage those that had represented the country by giving them awards.
“We want to create a new awareness within the NOA, which is to have a vision and a mission to fully take care of our past Olympians.
“We also want to create a platform for appreciation and recognition for their remarkable contributions.
“We have lined up programmes to achieve this course of action, which will commence on the Olympic Day, which is June 23, when we will have a series of events such as debate, Annual General Meeting (AGM) and others.
“On June 24, we will host a red carpet and a banquet to be called ‘The Labour of our Heroes Past’ to honour 15 Olympians that have represented the country from 1952 till present.
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“The June 24 event will be held at the Nigeria Airforce base (NAF), Conference Centre, Abuja, where we will honour, reward and award our members for their efforts flying Nigeria’s flag,” he said.
Oyedeji said that it took a lot of effort, consecration and dedication to participate at the Olympics, hence, the efforts of the Olympians must be well appreciated.
“We are embarking on doing things right by honouring our legends because if people do not celebrate us, we will celebrate ourselves and give the younger generation something to key into.
“We want to encourage them to continue and be willing to put on our national colours. It will be a turning point for government and other individuals to see us in the right perspective.
“It is not easy to be an Olympian and it is not easy to be called; because many are called, but few are chosen; it takes over 10,000 hours of practice to be an Olympian.
“Representing the country is not an easy task at all. So, as Olympians, we need to find a way of doing things differently; we start with appreciating our heroes,” he said.
