Following Team Nigeria’s shambolic performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, sports stakeholders have called for a comprehensive forensic investigation.
Team Nigeria athletes left Paris without a single medal for the eighth time in the nation’s Olympic history, marking a repeat of disappointing performances at previous Games such as Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, Mexico 1968, Moscow 1980, Seoul 1988, and London 2012. The country’s failure to win a single medal for the eighth time in its Olympic history has sparked outrage and demands for accountability.
Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, Donatus Agu-Ejidike, has led the charge, calling for a forensic probe into the mismanagement of the team. He highlighted the omission of star athlete Favour Ofili from the 100m event as a prime example of administrative incompetence.
Agu-Ejidike also expressed deep concern over the exodus of Nigerian talents to other countries due to poor management.
“The most painful of them all is Annette Echikunwoke who suffered the same fate as Ofili in Tokyo, wanting to represent Nigeria three years ago, as a result of the chronic administrative ineptitude that characterises sports administration in Nigeria, switched her international allegiance to the U.S., and this time around, she won a silver medal in Hammer Throw. “Yemisi Ogunleye, another Nigerian by origin, won gold for Germany in Shot Put, and the list goes on and on,” Agu-Ejidike said.
The Anambra state-born sports philanthropist described Team Nigeria’s performance as “shambolic and unacceptable” and insisted that those responsible for the failure be held accountable. He questioned how over N12 billion released by the Federal Government for the Paris Olympics failed to impact the country’s medal prospects.
Ahmed Gara-Gombe, Chairman of the Gombe State Athletics Association, blamed the sports ministry for Nigeria’s poor outing in Paris, citing the exclusion of top athlete Favour Ofili and the overall poor performance as a national embarrassment.
“Favour Ofili was not listed for the 100m event and the overall performance of Team Nigeria at the Olympics was most unfortunate. “It is a serious embarrassment to our nation, and also to Mr. President and all sports stakeholders,” Gombe said as quoted by News Agency of Nigeria.
He criticised the minister for promoting corruption within the sports sector.
“The negligence, inefficiency, and the corruption that has eaten deep into Nigerian sports are the root cause of this,” he added.
“The sports minister, unfortunately, has promoted corruption in the sports sector, that’s why we find ourselves in this mess in AFN.”
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) President, Isaiah Benjamin, attributed the poor performance to administrative incompetence and negligence. He questioned the basis for the high expectations set by sports authorities despite the lack of preparation.
“Before the Games, Nigerians were meant to believe that all was well. The Sports Ministry kept assuring that the performance of Team Nigeria at the 2024 Olympics would surpass the country’s best-ever outing at the Atlanta 1996 edition,” Benjamin said via NAN.
“The entire media fraternity in Nigeria was equally surprised to hear that the reason Nigeria didn’t perform optimally in Paris was due to lack of preparation by the various Sports Federations. “This is as it has now been exposed that the Federations only focused on ensuring that their athletes qualified for the Olympics but did nothing to prepare them for Olympics performance,” he said.
The stakeholders unanimously agreed that the Nigerian sports system is in dire need of reform, emphasizing the need for merit-based appointments, adequate funding, and improved athlete welfare.
As the nation grapples with the fallout from the Olympic debacle, the calls for a forensic probe grow louder, with many hoping that it will lead to significant changes in the management of Nigerian sports.
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