Nigerian sprinter Usheoritse Ese Itsekiri remains optimistic about Team Nigeria’s chances of winning medals at the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics despite concerns over the country’s preparations.

The Olympics, scheduled to commence on July 26 in France, will see Team Nigeria competing in various events.

Since their debut in Helsinki 1952, Nigerian athletes have participated in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except for the Montreal 1976 Games.

A total of 82 Nigerian athletes are set to compete in at least 11 sports in 2024.

Itsekiri highlighted the importance of pre-Olympic camping to ensure athletes achieve focus, fine-tuning, and a distraction-free environment.

“Preparation is good. I feel like we’ve not had it come together for this Olympics. There’s a camp in Germany, I’m not sure if I’ll make it because I’ve not gotten my accreditation, but I’m supposed to be there this week,” Itsekiri stated.

He added, “Hopefully, we can put things together and put the race together and make a statement in this tournament.”