The Nigeria Olympic Committee has said Actively Black kits are the approved apparel by the International Olympic Committee for Team Nigeria’s use at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which hold between 26 July and 11 August.
Actively Black unveiled a series of kits consisting of performing gears and track wears for Team Nigeria last week, but it came as a surprise when the athletes were also presented with another set of kits made by Peak during the handing over between the Ministry of Sports Development and the NOC on Monday.
The unveiled Peak kits also had a customised travelling bag for the athletes and reawakened the fiasco which rocked Team Nigeria during Tokyo 2020 in the public’s minds.
Latifat Adewa yo-ho-ho stated, “Drama as another Team Nigeria Olympic kit was unveiled in Abuja. I just stumbled on the presentation on Instagram, mainly tracksuit and modelled by Ese Brume. This one is made by Peak and not Actively Black from a week ago. What is going on at the NOC?”
“I don’t understand these people honestly, maybe Peak is for Team Nigeria as a whole and Actively Black are kit makers of the track and field. I can’t even believe we’re doing this again”, Manlo Etuk also said.
“This is that Puma and AFA sports fiasco all over again”.
In the wake of the confusion, Secretary-General of the NOC, Tunde Popoola, stated that the Peak kits provided by the ministry would only be additional wear for the athletes while Actively Black is the officially approved kit by the IOC.
“It will appear confusing to the public actually but it’s a very simple thing”, Popoola told The PUNCH.
“Before handing over to the NOC, the ministry also thought they should give equipment and kits to the athletes. It’s not a bad idea for them to have those ones as well.
“Legally, according to the rules of the Olympics, it’s only the registered one that can be used during the Games and that is Actively Black. But that does not mean that the country cannot provide additional kits.
“The more kits athletes get, the better for them too”.
Meanwhile, the sports ministry has confirmed that 87 athletes will represent Team Nigeria in 12 sports at the Games in Paris.
According to the breakdown provided by the ministry, 35 of the contingent will represent Nigeria in athletics, 18 women’s football players, 12 women’s basketball, six wrestlers, four table tennis players, three boxers, two athletes each for canoeing, weightlifting, and aquatic sports while cycling has one athlete.
Additionally, Nigeria will participate in four sports in the Paralympic Games, which will be held from 28 August to 8 September. The country has a strong history of success, having won 40 gold, 19 silver and 21 bronze medals, totaling 80 medals.
