Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Honourable Tunde Popoola, on Monday defended the Olympic Committee award won by Nigeria’s current best athlete at the international level, Blessing Okagbare.
Popoola stated that the NOC ‘Athlete of the Year’ award grabbed by Okagbare at the committee’s Annual General Meeting and Awards Night in Gombe was well deserved.
“Okagbare undoubtedly remains the face of Nigerian sports both at home and abroad. In the year under review, the athlete wrote the country’s name in gold in more than three world class competitions.
“She performed more than all other Nigerian athletes, so it was not a big surprise when she was voted as the Athlete of the Year,” Popoola stated.
Okagbare won silver medal at the World Athletics Championship in Moscow, in the Long Jump event and bronze in the sprint thus shattering a 14-year jinx.
At the event night of glitz held at the Government House in Gombe, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) won the award as the Most Improved Sport Federation in Nigeria.
Others, who won awards, are Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State who won the Icon of Grassroots Sports Development award.
The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye won award for Outstanding Contribution to Sports Development, while IOC member, Engineer Habu Gumel, won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports Administration.
Dr Lanre Glover, Major General Adamu Dyeri, General Ayeni also won awards while D’Tigers (male national Basketball team) won the award for the Outstanding Team of the year.
The awards were presented by Governor Dankwambo to round off the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
