Wednesday, September 18, 2024 was an ideal day for Nigeria Powerlifting President, Chiemeka Charles Ezenwanne. It was a day one in all his federation’s main sponsors, Peak Milk, selected to host his athletes and reward them for doing the nation proud on the just-concluded Paris 2024 Paralympics. It was additionally a day his federation confirmed Nigerians that they’re grateful for the encomiums and love the nation bestowed on the athletes earlier than and after the Video games in France.
Savouring the enjoyment in his athletes, who received financial rewards starting from N1 million to N2 million from Peak Milk for his or her efforts in Paris, Ezenwanne couldn’t assist however have a look at the longer term with a promise that powerlifters would proceed to win laurels for the nation.
Particularly, he promised that the powerlifters will combat to reclaim their primary place on the earth from China in the event that they get the required assist from company Nigeria.
He informed The Guardian on the reception held within the Ikeja, Lagos workplace of FrieslandCampina, makers of Peak Milk, that Nigeria would have gained greater than the 2 gold medals it received in Paris if the workforce had gone with the total complement of its squad.
He stated: “If we had our full workforce in Paris, we might have gained greater than 25 gold medals. China topped the medals desk as a result of they went with greater than 26 athletes. The Chinese language lacked nothing. They’re the primary on the earth as a result of they attend all of the competitions and get many medals. However it isn’t so with us.“To take an athlete to a significant competitors, you want greater than N8 million for his lodging, registration, flight ticket, medicals and different logistics. So, we should not have that form of sources to take each athlete able to profitable a gold medal to main occasions.”
Ezenwanne thanked Peak Milk for staying with the federation for greater than eight years, saying that the model “has been sponsoring my federation for all these years.”
He additionally thanked the Sport Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, for making certain that the federation received a few of the issues it wanted regardless of the ministry’s lean sources.
“This minister of sports activities is one of the best that has ever occurred to us. He supported us even inside a brief spell in workplace. However our efficiency on the Paralympics was so poor once you have a look at what we’re able to reaching. If the minister continues along with his reforms, we are going to do higher in future competitions.”
The Powerlifting Federation boss disclosed that the physique has began planning for the 2028 Paralympics billed to carry in Los Angeles, including, nonetheless, that it wants company assist to perform a few of its targets earlier than the Video games.
“We’ve got disbanded the workforce to construct a brand new squad below the Ministry of Sports activities’ supervision.
“We’ll conduct our trials in January subsequent yr and it entails some huge cash. We’d like cash to camp athletes from the 36 states and Abuja for the train and if any state agrees to sponsor it, we are going to go there.
“Secondly, we are going to quickly begin going for competitions overseas, which requires some huge cash. The ministry has been serving to us to perform a few of our programmes, however they produce other federations to cater for, so it’s actually troublesome to get all that we want. That’s the reason we would like different company our bodies to return in and assist us. They’ll undertake any of the athletes and use that athlete as mannequin for his or her merchandise.
“If any firm sponsors any of the athletes, pay his payments for any competitors, we are going to assure that that athlete will win gold medals for that firm.”
Explaining his federation’s expertise recruitment type, Ezenwanne stated his coaches scout for skills from the streets and practice them to change into world beaters.
“A few of these individuals don’t know that they’ve the skills to compete in powerlifting. They’re all over the place within the streets from the place we get them to our camp.
“Coaching and getting these athletes to compete domestically is a bit troublesome as a result of the one competitors we’ve got domestically is the Nationwide Sports activities Competition.
“We’re planning a continental competitors, the place we are going to host the remainder of Africa as a result of in Africa we’re primary. We’d like competitions to regain our place because the world’s greatest.”
