London 2012: Nigerian-born foreign athletes wish Team Nigeria well

Posted by admin Headlines, Sports, Track & Field Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Ohurugu

HORDES of visitors have continued to beseige Team Nigeria’s secretariat at the Olympic Village. Many of the visitors, mainly, are Nigerian athletes representing other countries at the Olympics and those who are living in Diaspora, coming back to identify with their roots.

Great Britain is the greatest beneficiaries of Nigerian-born athletes and it has popped into the secretariat to wish Team Nigeria well.

Sometimes, some of the athletes try to speak their mother tongue or come to ask or exchange Nigerian pins.

Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain who is the defending Olympic Women 400metres champion said: “Yes, I am a Nigerian. My dad told me I am from Imo State. It’s incredible. I love Nigeria’’, she said in her GBR uniform.

Another Nigerian-born Great Britain athlete, Marilyn Okoro added: “I came to identify with my people. I wish you the best of luck in the Olympics.”

Abiodun Oyepitan remarked: It’s lovely to be here. You get good feelings being around your people.”

Besides athletes, there have been scores of Nigerians who are volunteers in the Olympics streaming to the Nigerian Secretariat to identify themselves and speak the language. They ask serious questions from politics to the state of the nation and of course, sports in Nigeria.

One asked; ‘’Is there stable light in Nigeria now. I came around with my dad but we had to change our date of departure because I was scared of darkness.’’

via Tribunewp_posts