The federal government, yesterday, officially made a proposal to the
International Olympic Committee to host the 2022 Youth Olympic Games in
Abuja. At a video presentation held in Abuja, the Nigerian delegation led by
the Minister of Youth and Sports Barrister Solomon Dalung, assured the
visiting members of the International Olympic Committee IOC that the
Federal Capital Territory, FCT, will be ready to host the games if
Nigeria gets the nod.
Dalung commended the IOC for considering an African host for the event.
He said: “I want to commend the IOC for developing a mechanism for
Africa to be taken along through the changes introduced in the
organization of the Youth Olympics. I want to assure you that the
capacity of the country to deliver is not in doubt. We will ensure that
we package a brand of the Youth Games which after 2022, will set an
agenda for the IOC to emulate.
”Abuja is ready to host because we have hosted international competitions in the past.
“Moreover, the IOC has emphasized that countries seeking to host the
games should not build new structures but improve on their existing ones
or make use of temporary facilities which will be dismantled after the
games.
“We have the organizational capacity, the experience and the
technical know-how to host. Abuja as a city has most of the requirements
as enumerated to us by the IOC in a video presentation. We hope that at
the end of the day, Nigeria will be chosen to host the 2022 Games for
Africa,”Dalung said.
Earlier, the IOC members led by Antoine Goetschy, Associate Director
for the Youth Olympic Games stated in their video presentation that the
process of securing the bid to host the games will cost nothing to
enable weaker countries with the potentials to host the event.
“We are here to see what you have to propose and to show you an
overview of what we want in a host city. The objective of our visit is
for the proposing host nation to understand the strategic alignment and
stakeholders engagement and the potential operational footprint”
Other criteria for hosting the games as presented in the video
include demonstration of existing international and youth strategies,
prior experience in hosting major events, motivation of the relevant
authorities and stakeholders for hosting the Youth Games, dedicated and
permanent fields of play, potential accommodation solutions for NOC team
delegations, existing indoor multipurpose arenas, potential sites for
outdoor festival space and discussions on how hosting the YOG 2022 can
act as a catalyst for further development.
The members comprising Gilbert Felli, Senior Adviser, Melina Simm,
Advisor and Mathieu Pouret, YOG Manager also undertook an inspection
tour of the Abuja National Stadium and other facilities on Monday while
discussions to select the host country continue.