Daily Trust

Paralympia­n demands more attention after Rio success As Buhari congratula­tes team

- By Mansur Abubakar

African record holder for the 100m and 200m wheelchair races Hannah Babalola has called for more government and corporate support for Nigerian special athletes after Team Nigeria’s successful outing at the recently concluded Paralympic Games in Rio.

Babalola in a chat with Daily Trust yesterday added that with more support and attention, the team will be able to do much more in the next Games.

“Yes, we are all very happy with the outcome of the Rio Games but with more support from government, individual­s and corporate bodies we can achieve much more in the next Games.” Babalola said.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari hascongrat­ulated the Nigerian Paralympic team for its outstandin­g performanc­e in Brazil.

This was made known yesterday by Garba Shehu, the President’s Spokespers­on. Garba Shehu on his Facebook page said ”President Muhammadu Buhari warmly congratula­tes Nigeria’s team for an outstandin­g performanc­e at the Paralympic games in Rio, Brazil.

“President Buhari joins all sports-loving Nigerians in commending the athletes for doing the country proud by winning 12 medals and setting new records, which made them the topperform­ing African team at the 2016 games.

“The President extols the resilient spirit of the Nigerian Paralympic athletes, who were able to excel in the face of adversity.

“President Buhari applauds the athletes for their tenacity, focus and determinat­ion, which has brought glory to the country. The President also extends gratitude to all the officials and trainers of the Paralympic athletes, who made sacrifices and persevered to fly the country’s colours.”

 ??  ?? Some members of the Rio 2016 Nigeria Paralympic­s team on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Internatio­nal Airport Abuja on Sunday
Some members of the Rio 2016 Nigeria Paralympic­s team on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Internatio­nal Airport Abuja on Sunday

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