Nigeria bans government delegation for the Olympics

Nigerian flag and sports supporters

Nigeria's sports delegation arriving at the 2012 London Olympics will not be accompanied by any governmental officials, who are not directly involved with the Games.

The decision, which targets the delegation's high costs, was motivated by the fact that in the past, a large amount of people, with no relation to the sports whatsoever, travelled together with the squad resulting in unnecessary expenses. The situation became urgent as the amount of such people usually over-exceeded the number of athletes.

With this sanction the government also addresses issues concerning the country's anti-corruption investigations, which started after they were served a huge bill for transport expenses of the government's delegation to South Africa during the 2010 football World Cup.

This measure is also taken in order to ensure that sportsmen are focused on their only goal: winning medals.

Any Nigerian politician at the Olympics is expected to be attending solely on private matters and of course to support the team.