Sunday Dare, Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Thursday said that the commitment and performance of athletes at the ongoing Olympic Trials and Invitational are commendable.

Dare said this while addressing newsmen at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, the venue of the trials for the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games are scheduled to take place from July 23 to Aug. 8, 2021.

“I am impressed with what I’ve seen here today, in spite of the restriction of COVID-19, we have seen flashes of what they are capable of doing and we are proud of them.

“The target we have given them is to go out there and win medals for us. These athletes are ready for ruthless execution of their skills, and when you see the invitational we have in a couple of days, you will see how ready these athletes are,’’ he said.

According to him, the Federal Government has given the ministry necessary support in other to prepare adequately for the Olympics.

“We have received full supports from the Federal Government, and we also have given the athletes the same support, of course, we don’t always have enough resources but we are managing the resources we have.

“The future of athletics is bright. In Tobi Amusan, Blessing Okagbare, and Ese Brume, we have talents and we intend to work hand in hand with them so that we can maximize their potential,’’ Dare said.

Abducted Rivers United Head Coach, Stanley Eguma, regains freedom

And Tony Okowa, the President of, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), said the welfare of the athletes was paramount.

“We have made their camping experience hitch-free, we have athletes coming in from outside the country and we intend to make them feel comfortable.

“We have seen so many promising athletes here today, so I am confident that we will get good results at the world stage,’’ he said.