Abuja — The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi has at a reception over the weekend lauded the Team Nigeria's wrestlers for giving their best at the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics in France.
Though the wrestlers failed to win medals despite high hopes pinned on them, Adeniyi commended them for their patriotic zeal in addition to reaching the semi-finals and quarterfinals at the Games.
He assured that the wrestlers would win medals again with the right support and environment.
Adeniyi noted that the Customs decided to celebrate the athletes for their efforts at Paris 2024 to inspire upcoming athletes that the country and the federation will always appreciate their endeavour regardless of the outcome.
He noted the wrestlers gave their best at the Olympics but unfortunately fell short of winning medals.
"Our athletes and officials qualified for the Olympics which is the highest level of performance in the world. They gave their best and it was unfortunate that they were unable to win medals. But it is not the end of the world because we know that they have done it before and it is our belief that with the right support and environment they will do it again.
"It is not only when we win that we should have this kind of reception. We find it necessary for us to show our athletes and officials that we are indeed a federation and a country that appreciate what they have done. We want to continue to encourage these athletes and to serve as reference for the younger ones that the federation and indeed the country will always appreciate the effort they put into any endeavour irrespective of the outcome," Adeniyi said.
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The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, who was at the reception, commended Adeniyi and the president of Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Daniel Igali, for hosting the wrestling team.
He said the federation was the only and the first to celebrate their athletes despite not winning any medal at the Paris Games, describing the gesture as reassuring ways of encouraging the athletes.
The minister also expressed anathema for the negative comments that have trailed the poor performance of the team Nigeria in Paris.
On his part, Igali, said wrestling was only the federation that won six medals at the world championship.
"We also apologise to Nigerians for not reaching the climax that we set for ourselves.
"In the past, there was no federation in Nigeria's history that has won six world championships. It is only the wrestling federation," Igali said.
Six wrestlers - one male and five females, represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
