Solomon Dalung

The Minister of Youths and Sports  Development, Solomon Dalung, has urged sports administrators to consider the welfare of athletes as the most important factor to drive sports development, while saying the government would continue to priortise the welfare of athletes’ to sustain sports development in the country.

Dalung said this at the unveiling of mascot and logo of the 2019 International Para-Powerlifting Championships  slated for January.

The minister said that one of the major factors that affected sports in the country could be linked to the careless attitude toward athletes’ welfare.

“Since we came on board, we have prioritised the welfare of athletes and we ensure that the large chunk of every budgetary allocation goes to the welfare of the athletes. The athletes are the main actors in sports and should be treated as such, ” he said.

He added that the effort put up by athletes during training required a lot of energy, support and funding for optimum results.

Dalung urged athletes to remain steadfast and good embassadors of the country when competing.

The World Para Powerlifting awarded Nigeria the hosting right of the championship which would serve as qualification for the 2020 Paralympics Games.

NAN