Camping of home-based athletes ahead of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics will get underway on Monday, an official of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development disclosed on Sunday.

The ministry’s Director of Federations and Elite Athletes Department (FEAD), Simon Ebhojiaye, said in a statement that they had finalised all arrangements about the camping.

“According to our schedule for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, athletes in 10 sporting events will be camped in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa from Monday.

“This means that with just a few weeks to the official commencement of the Tokyo Olympics, our countdown has commenced with camping for the home-based.

“This is where athletes are expected to intensify their readiness for podium success in Tokyo, while we are also monitoring the performances of the foreign-based ones closely,” he said.

Mr Ebhojiaye further said Abuja would play host to athletes in athletics, canoeing, rowing, weightlifting, para-athletics and taekwondo.

“Those to be camped in Lagos are the athletes in para-powerlifting and para-table tennis, while those in wrestling are to be camped in Yenagoa and those of badminton in Port Harcourt.”

He pointed out that the ministry decided that Team Nigeria should participate at the Olympics in only 10 events where she has a competitive advantage.

The ministry’s official also noted that the athletes’ camping was a fulfilment of the promise to organise a 90-day Olympics camping.

“The first phase camping held for 14 days in March and this one now is the longest camping period organised for the Olympics and it is expected to lead to a medals haul for Nigeria in Tokyo,” Mr Ebhojiaye said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Tokyo Olympics Seiko Hashimoto has assured the world that the postponed games will not be cancelled despite surging COVID-19 cases in Japan and polls showing as many as 80 per cent in Japan oppose holding the Olympics during the pandemic.

(NAN)