Following the non-provision of a bicycle by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN), stranded Nigerian cyclist, Ese Ekpeseraye was saved by Team Germany who in the spirit of sportsmanship borrowed her bicycle to compete in the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ekpeseraye revealed this on X saying she had no bicycle to race with on the tracks and the German team came to her rescue after she received a late call-up.
“Due to the short notice of me competing at the Keirin & Sprint, #teamNigeria I had no bicycle to race with on the tracks. In the spirit of sportsmanship, the German team @bunddeutscherradfahr came to my rescue by offering me a bicycle. Thank you,” she wrote.
It will be noted that the federal government approved N12bn for training and participation for Team Nigeria at the Olympics.
According to the sports minister, Sen John Enoh said the approved money was for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We have a budget of over N12 billion which has been approved by the federal government.
”The budget is divided into two parts; N9 billion for the Olympics, while over N3 billion has been earmarked for the Paralympics,” he said prior to the Games.
In addition, the Minister said the House of Representatives had graciously approved N100m as support for Team Nigeria’s participation in the Paris Olympics.
Ekpeseraye is the first Nigerian ever to compete in Cycling at the Olympics. She competed in the Cycling Road event and Did Not Finish (DNF) her event, and had a no time recorded for her.
