Commonwealth Games: Nigeria medalists owed $90,000

There are indications that Team Nigeria athletes who won medals at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia have not been paid .

At the beginning of the games, the National Sports Commission announced cash rewards to athletes that placed first, second and third respectively.

24 medals split into 9 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze were won by Team Nigeria, and from the breakdown gold medalists were entitled to $5,000, while the silver medalists were promised $3,000 and $2,000 for the bronze winners.

On the whole $45,000 should have gone to the 5 gold medalists, $27,000 to the 9 silver medalists and $18,000 shared among the 6 athletes that won bronze which would have amounted to $90,000.

But investigations show that nothing was given to the athletes before their departure.

“We are still waiting,” said an athlete who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It was also gathered that the home-based athletes were not paid their training grants before they departed Australia.