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. 

Ese Ukpeseraye. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

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.

Ese Ukpeseraye in the Women’s Elite 500m Time Trial qualification race during the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow. (Photo by Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images)

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. 

Giandomenico Massari at the ECOWAS International Cycling Tour in Lagos. (Photo / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images)

He noted that bikes used in World Championships cannot be used in the Olympics due to different regulations, making it impractical to order a new bike in time.

Massari acknowledged that Nigerian cycling has a long journey ahead and highlighted the scarcity of velodromes in Africa as a challenge so it requires one to travel for participation and ranking points. 

He also mentioned that Nigeria has secured a spot for para-cycling at the World Championships and doesn’t know about road and track yet.