Ese Lovina Ukpeseraye, a Nigerian cyclist who recently competed in the Paris Olympics, has voiced concerns over athletes being denied access to sports facilities in Nigeria, specifically the velodrome. According to Ukpeseraye, the velodrome, which is one of the finest cycling tracks in Africa, is frequently rented out for religious events, leaving athletes with little opportunity to train.
Speaking after the global sporting event, Ukpeseraye emphasized the significance of the velodrome, highlighting its status as one of the most expensive and well-constructed sports venues in the world. Despite its value, she lamented that the velodrome is underutilized by cyclists, as it is often reserved for non-sporting activities, particularly religious gatherings. This, she warned, could eventually lead to the decline of cycling in Nigeria due to the lack of proper training facilities.
Ukpeseraye expressed her frustration: “We have a very beautiful track; our track is the best in Africa, but we don’t use it. They don’t permit us to use it.” She further elaborated that Nigerian bikers are denied access to this crucial facility for most of the year, which hampers their ability to prepare for competitions effectively.
In a separate post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ukpeseraye also revealed that she had to borrow a bike to participate in the Keirin Sprint event at the ongoing Olympics. This disclosure triggered criticism from Nigerians, who accused the authorities of negligence and incompetence in managing sports facilities and supporting athletes.
Responding to the backlash, Senator John, Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, released a statement on X, claiming that Ukpeseraye’s comments were misunderstood. He explained that Team Nigeria had initially qualified for one road race in cycling and had adequately prepared for it. However, an unexpected reallocation of additional slots by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) required different competition equipment that the team had not anticipated.
The Minister clarified, “My attention has been called to a post on social media by Ese Ukpeseraye. After reading the post and some follow-up comments, I swung into action. Ese’s post seems to have been grossly misunderstood, perhaps also because it didn’t seem to give proper context to the matter in perspective. It is important I make some clarifications.”
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