President of the Cycling Federation of Nigeria, Giandomenico Massari, has addressed the recent controversy surrounding Team Nigeria’s use of a borrowed bicycle at the Olympics.
The issue surfaced after Ese Lovina Ukpeseraye, Nigeria’s sole cycling representative at the Games, thanked the German team on her X account for lending her a bike.
Due to the short notice, Ukpeseraye, who competed in the Keirin and Sprint events, had no bicycle of her own and appreciated the German team’s gesture.
“In the spirit of sportsmanship, the German team came to my rescue by offering me a bicycle,” Ukpeseraye tweeted.
In response, the Sports Minister clarified that a special track bike, approved specifically for Olympic events, would have taken months to deliver after they had ordered and payment.
To ensure Ukpeseraye could compete, the Federation, through her European club and a German-owned company, secured a track bike on short notice.
In an interview with Brila FM’s The Big Interview, Massari explained that the short timeframe and the lengthy approval process for obtaining a new bike led to the decision to borrow one.
