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Nigerian Athlete Regina George Resorts To "Go Fund Me" To Raise Funds To Attend Rio Olympics

2016 Olympic hopeful, Regina George, set up a GoFundMe Campaign in order to raise funds to get herself to the Olympic Games at Rio, Brazil.

2016 Olympic hopeful, Regina George, set up a GoFundMe Campaign in order to raise funds to get herself to the Olympic Games at Rio, Brazil.

Ms. George, the Nigerian-Venezuelan track star, who mentioned that she has faced financial difficulty, reached out to family, friends and fans for support.

“I just been told that we will have to pay our own way to the Olympics this year. Sadly this is such short notice for me to come up with the money.”

Her fundraising goal is 4000 US Dollars.

Talking about the availability of funds for her athletic pursuits, the 2012 Olympian said, “They also promised a refund, but I'm still waiting for many refunds promised in the past.”

Ms. George has represented Nigeria in multiple competitions including the 2013 Moscow World Championships and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. She was part of the team that won the gold medal at the 2015 IAAF World Relays in Nassau.

This year’s Olympic games at Rio would be Ms. George’ second appearance at an Olympic game if she can manage to raise the funds for the outing.

“I been through a lot of obstacles this year and through it all, I made my SECOND Olympic team. I don't want to stop now after I earned a spot to represent my country in the Olympics.”

However, Regina George is not the only Rio Olympics hopeful to be using the crowdfunding platform for personal fundraising. Antwon Hick, a Nigerian Hurdler, set up a GoFundMe campaign as well.

Mr. Hick’s campaign is set to raise 5000 US Dollars.

In his appeal to potential donors, he talked about the sacrifices he has had to make to reach his goals. He said, “I've battled nagging injuries, missed teams by one thousandth of a second, and have slept on many a friend's couch to pursue my dream.”

He has used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in his fundraising efforts.

“Every dime will go towards training, vaccinations (I'm sure you've heard of the current situation in Brazil) rehab and travel.”

SaharaReporters contacted Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, regarding the issue. He stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is yet to release funds.

He maintained that funds “should be released on Monday.” The minister added that a delegation would be meeting Nigerian athletes in the US to discuss funding for their participation in the Olympics.