Team Nigeria went to the just concluded Olympics in Paris and came back empty-handed. No single medal! It was the same disastrous outing twelve years ago at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Nothing else can describe it, but shame.
Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, admitted it when he said the performance of Team Nigeria was indeed “disappointing.” The 84-member Nigerian contingent failed in all sports. Even when it looked like the dazzling D'Tigress team will come to the rescue after winning two crucial group games against Australia and Canada in the Women's basketball, they failed to rise up to the occasion against their American opponents in the quarter-finals, thus completing the circle of humiliation.
Maybe, if not for the mismanagement of the women's 100m registration of Favour Ofili by the Athletic Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Olympic Committee, which led to her inexplicable exclusion, the country would have been on the medals table. But that is crying over spilled milk.
Even Tobi Amusan, the world record holder at 12.12 secs, who was considered to be one of the best chances for a medal, crashed out of the women's 100m hurdles in the semis. There were other notable tragedies such as the lane violation disqualification of the men's 4×400m relay team after they came second in the semi-finals. Boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore was also expelled from the Games for allegedly failing a dope test.
Another disappointment was the inability of Blessing Oborududu to convert her chances. Having failed to get past the semi-final, she was expected to clinch the bronze medal, but she lost the match. Her colleague, Odunayo Adekuoroye's case, was even more pathetic. She did not reach the semifinal, despite being touted to win a medal at the Games. The Super Falcons who were expected to make an appreciable impact paid dearly for their lackluster performance. They lost their three group games and only managed to score a goal.
But there were a few things to cheer about. Favour Ofili, made history as the first Nigerian woman to reach the 200m final since Mary Onyali achieved the feat at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.18-year old teenage sensation, Samuel Ogazi became the first Nigerian man to reach the 400m final since Innocent Egbunike’s feat at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor also made history in Long Jump, being the first time three Nigerians to reach the final in one event. D’Tigress's profound show made them qualify for the quarter-final and become the first African team (male or female) to achieve such success.
Now that Paris has come and gone, we must look forward to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Preparations should start immediately if we want to avoid another international sporting shame. To begin with, the federal government should review the funding of sports federations. Proper funding, early release, and proper management of funds would help Nigeria in future sporting events.
Also, competent people should be allowed to run the federations. Political interference has been one of our major problems. Rewarding party loyalists and chieftains with top positions in the sports sector will continue to impede sports development and prevent us from attaining lofty heights in competitions.
Lastly, the government must pay attention to school sports. The raw talents are there. The government should also revive the National Sports Festival. Athletes should be sponsored to international competitions, and sports scholarships should also be awarded to them. The present administration can woo the private sector to be part of a holistic plan to reinvent our sports with a ten to fifteen years road map. We cannot afford to allow other African countries to take the shine as they did in Paris if we want to remain the so-called giant of Africa.
