The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games started off with team Nigeria recording another shameful start as they went to the event without kits, reminiscent of what happened during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where the feud between the Ministry of Sports and Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) caused the Nigerian team an opportunity to run helter-skelter so as to get kits in Tokyo probably did not give Nigeria an opportunity to learn a lesson. We had fallen into the same issue despite having months until the event to plan for it.
Nigeria’s athletes’ kits for the Commonwealth Games were unavailable at the nick of time, as the kit makers disappointed the federation, leaving the team’s handlers scrambling for a late replacement with the opening day of events in a few hours’ time.
The Guardian reported that on Tuesday, July 26th, UK-based kits manufacturer MG Sportswear manager Gino Ruffinato revealed that his firm had received a call to produce hundreds of kits for a team at the Commonwealth Games.
He initially thought it was a prank, but when orders began to come in emails, he realized that it was real. His company had to produce 200 pieces of kits for the 93-strong contingent to Birmingham betweenTuesday and Friday. The Kidderm inster-based company is expected to deliver the kits today as the action is already underway.
