Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics has sparked a heated debate, with athletes and officials trading blame for the country’s failure to win a single medal.
“I’m disappointed, but not surprised,” said Chioma Ajunwa, Atlanta Olympics gold medal winner. “Our sports administrators are clueless. They don’t know what they’re doing. They’re more interested in enriching themselves than in developing sports.”
Favour Ofili, who competed in the 200m final, accused officials of sabotaging her chances in the 100m race. “I qualified for the 100m, but they didn’t enter me. It’s not the first time they’ve done this. It’s frustrating. I’ve worked hard for four years, and they just throw away my opportunity like that.”
READ MORE: Nigeria’s Olympic performance falls short of my expectations- sports Minister
Sports Minister John Owan Enoh apologized for the “disastrous outcome” and acknowledged that preparations for the Games had been inadequate. “We deserve better. We’ll turn this failure into a positive for Nigerian sports. We’ll review what went wrong and make changes to ensure we do better next time.”
Sports Minister Senator John-Owan-Enoh apologised to Nigerians for Olympic failure
Hameed Adio, a former 100m sprinter and Olympic team captain, called for a radical overhaul of the sports administration. “We need people who know what they’re doing. We can’t keep recycling the same old administrators who don’t deliver. We need fresh blood, people who are passionate about sports and know how to develop talent.”
Rena Wakama, coach of the women’s basketball team, which reached the quarterfinals, offered a different perspective. “We did our best with the resources we had. We need more investment in sports infrastructure and training. We can’t compete with countries that have better facilities and more experienced coaches.”
Nigeria reflects on its Olympic failure and one thing is clear: change is needed to ensure success in future international competitions. The country’s sports administration needs a radical overhaul, with a focus on developing talent, investing in infrastructure, and putting experienced and passionate people in charge.
Rena Wakama, D’Tigress head coach was awarded basketball best coach of the Olympics
“We can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results,” said Ajunwa. “We need a new approach, a new mindset. We need to take sports seriously and invest in it.”
Ofili added, “We’re not asking for much. We just want a fair chance to compete. We want officials who will support us, not hinder us.”
Enoh promised that changes would be made. “We’ll learn from this experience and come back stronger. We’ll make sure our athletes have the support they need to succeed.”
Only time will tell if Nigeria’s sports administration will heed the calls for change and take the necessary steps to ensure success in future Olympics.
