Rio Olympics: Minister summons AFN, FEAD staff over ticket scandal

It will be recalled that a mail purportedly written by the AFN secretary had asked athletes to send an estimate of what their ticket to Rio may cost.
The said mail also assured them that refunds would be given if approved by the ministry for purchase by the athletes



The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has summoned the Secretary of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Olumide Bamiduro, to explain the ticket scandal that was a major discourse on the social media at the weekend.
A statement by the Minster’s Special Adviser on Media, Nneka Anibeze, said on Sunday in Lagos that the ministry’s staff of the Federation of Elite Athletes Department were also summoned.
It will be recalled that a mail purportedly written by the AFN secretary had asked athletes to send an estimate of what their ticket to Rio may cost.
The said mail also assured them that refunds would be given if approved by the ministry for purchase by the athletes.
The statement said Dalung had washed his hands off the mail that went viral on Saturday.
It added that Dalung had in a press release on Saturday said he had neither instructed anyone to push such information nor even mooted such to FEAD.
It also said Dalung had warned that those who wrote such a letter asking athletes to buy their air tickets to Rio would be investigated and sanctioned accordingly.
The statement said: “I hereby restate that no athlete has been authorised or asked to buy his or her ticket to the Olympic Games.
“Whoever that wrote the letter did so on his or her own accord without due consultation with the overseer of sports in the country which is the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
“We are totally committed to the welfare of our athletes and will ensure that they are not psychologically affected by distractions caused by this letter.”
Meanwhile, the statement said athletes would start moving to the Games Village on August 1, 2016.
It added: “The Ministry of Youth and Sports is to ensure the smooth movement of athletes abroad to the Games Village in Rio