Paris Olympics: Why we allowed her borrow a bicycle — John Enoh

Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye’s heartwarming yet controversial story of borrowing a bicycle from a German opponent to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics has sparked a wave of criticism towards the Nigerian government.

However, the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has stepped in to clarify the situation, addressing what many saw as a national embarrassment.

Ese, who revealed on social media that she had to borrow the bike due to a sudden opportunity to race, became the center of attention as Nigerians expressed their frustration over the government’s perceived lack of preparation. But according to Minister Enoh, the circumstances were far from ordinary.

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‘’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.

“Abinitio, Team Nigeria qualified for one road race in cycling and prepared for it in terms of training and the appropriate competition equipment. Team Nigeria was fully prepared for this road race until two weeks ago after the Cycling team with the rest of Team Nigeria had already left for the Olympics, that a communication from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) was received reallocating additional slots to the Cyclist Federation of Nigeria (Kerin and individual sprint).

“This reallocation to Nigeria was due to the disqualification of a country, leaving Nigeria as the next eligible to make the list of qualified countries to compete. Unfortunately, this additional slot required the use of a different competition equipment in terms of biking.

“For this track race reallocated to Team Nigeria, a very special equipment (approved specifically for the Olympic track game) is used. It’ll take months to have it delivered after ordering and making payment. To therefore get Ese to compete, the Federation through Ese’s Club in Europe and working with a German owned Company, got a ‘Track Bike’ for our cycler Ese.

“Tomorrow the 9th of August 2024, Ese will race in an individual sprint, the race she originally qualified for.”

He explained that Nigeria was not initially slated to participate in the event, and it was only after another country’s disqualification that Ese was offered a spot. With little time to prepare and the specialized equipment for track racing requiring months of procurement, borrowing a bike became the only viable option.

Minister Enoh emphasized that the Nigerian team was fully equipped for the event they originally qualified for—a road race—but the unexpected reallocation left them scrambling to adapt. He assured that every effort was made to ensure Ese could still compete, and she is now set to race in the individual sprint, the event she was originally prepared for.

This episode has highlighted the complexities of last-minute Olympic entries, where athletes and federations must navigate unforeseen challenges.