Team Nigeria to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom was at the mercy of a sportswear manufacturer minutes before the opening ceremony.
Team Nigeria under the supervision of Sunday Minister of
Youth and Sports Development were unable to get their kits and let down by a
supplier.
In a report by the BBC, the Minister approached MG
Sportswear in Kidderminster explaining the situation and requesting a supply of
kit for the Nigerian athletes.
MG Sportswear and Nigeria
MG Sportswear Manager Gino Ruffinato explained that his team
had to work around the clock to ensure the Nigerian kits were available for the
athletes.
Ruffinato enlisted all his 14 staff to get to work to make
the order required by the Nigerian team.
A sportswear manufacturer has come to the rescue to produce
a last-minute kit for the Nigerian team at the Commonwealth Games.
The supplier was approached to make hundreds of items on
Tuesday after the team said they were let down by their suppliers.
Manager Gino Ruffinato said his 14 staff had been working
around the clock to get the garments finished.
He said, "As it progressed I started getting emails
with orders on, so at that point I thought, hang on, I think this is serious.
"Everybody's embraced it, they've worked hard and done
many hours to make sure it happens
"When they hit us with the deadline saying it needs to
be there for Friday and today was Tuesday... there's all the fabric, the print,
the designs to get out in two days. It was a bit hair-raising."
The manager explained that the order by the Nigerian team
are 200 pieces of kit which included running vests and shorts, staff
tracksuits, and 400 Nigerian badges.
Team Nigeria were all smiles as they participated in the
opening ceremony as the Minister is yet to explain details about their kit to
the press.