By Solomon Nwoke
A 61 member Nigerian contingent to this year’s Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens  Greece departed the shores of the country Sunday aboard a KLM Airline flight.

The contingent comprising 43 athletes, 18 coaches and two officials including the head of delegation
and assistant head of delegation would compete in six events namely; aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, table tennis and soccer.

At the special send forth media parley with the Team Nigeria by the Special Olympics Nigeria (SO Nigeria) at  Terra Kuture before their departure, the organisation  was glad to have raised N31 million of the N35 million it needed for the Games .

Chairman of the Board of Director SONigeria, Victor Gbolade Osibodu said, “for us as an organisation and our athltetes, arriving at this point has not been without challenges. These challenges sometimes threatened  our preparation to this year’s Games, but with determination and perseverance, we overcame the  challenges and the rest as they say, is history”

Osibodu also informed that the athletes who were camped at the Gateway Stadium, Sagamu. had done all that was necessary  to ensure that they have a successful outing at the Games.

“I believe that our athletes will do their best at the competition. The most important thing is to be competitive and bask in the camaraderie,” he said.

The 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games holds from June 25 to July 4 in Athens.