The
last time I checked, the 2016 Summer Olympic Games that took place in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil graciously ended on Sunday August 21, 2016 as planned. It would
be recalled that the last edition of the tournament, hosted in London United
Kingdom (UK), took place four years ago, in 2012 to be precise; suffice it to
say that the widely celebrated global multi-sporting event is a quadrennial.
It’s worth noting that, Nigeria
participated in eight sporting events only, in line with the earlier disclosure
made by the Minister of Youths and Sports Mr. Solomon Dalung. The games in
question included men’s football, basketball, canoeing, table tennis,
wrestling, high jump, long jump, as well as track and field events. Prior to
the commencement of the event, the minister equally promised that the
contingents would be well treated financially and otherwise toward ensuring
better participation throughout the tournament.
It’s no doubt mind-boggling and disheartening
that among the total of three-hundred and six (306) games played at the
tournament, or in a competition that yielded 161 medals for men, 136 for women
and 9 mixed medals, Nigeria the acclaimed ‘giant of Africa’ could only boast of
participants in just eight of the available games. Such level of apathy isn’t
unconnected with the fact that the nature of preparation employed prior to the
outing wasn’t in any way encouraging, or was nothing to write home about.
In his speech two months ago, precisely on
Wednesday 15th June 2016, the Nigerian international and Africa’s
most decorated table tennis player, Segun Toriola described preparations for
the Rio Olympic Games as the ‘worst ever’ in the Nigeria’s sports history. The
42-year-old Toriola who just made history in Brazil as the first African
athlete to feature in seven Olympic Games tournaments, stated that he had never
seen such poor preparation since his debut at the 1992 Barcelona Games in
Spain.
The statement, made available to the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos State, frowned at the level of lack of
interest on the part of the government officials responsible for the said
preparation. The aggrieved athlete who unequivocally urged Nigerians not to
expect ‘much’ from the participating athletes further lamented that it was more
painful and pathetic that nobody was even telling them (the athletes) what the
next line of action entailed.
Aside the various lapses that surrounded
the preparation, barely three weeks to the tournament, the Nigerian Olympic
team was reportedly still uncertain if it would make it to Brazil for the
Olympics. The revelation, which triggered the anger of series of sports
commentators cum analysts alongside well-meaning Nigerians, was greeted with
enormous criticisms and counter-reactions. Many described the experience as
‘untold’ considering that it occurred when the country’s unity was being
threatened; according to them, it was only sports that could adequately unite
Nigerians.
However, amidst the uproar and confusion,
on Tuesday July 19, about two weeks to the event, President Mohammadu Buhari
ordered the immediate release of funds budgeted for Nigeria’s successful
participation in the Rio Olympics. The President announced the approval during
the official handover of Team Nigeria to the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC)
at the State House, Abuja.
During the tournament, the drumbeat never
changed; the Nigeria’s notable pattern of treating her sports’ representatives
remained the highlights of the event. We kept on hearing series of criticisms,
allegations, as well as counter-allegations among the country’s sports officials
and the leadership of the men’s football team, particularly between Skipper
John Obi Michel, Coach Samson Siasia and Minister Solomon Dalung, as if they
were sent to wash the country’s dirty lilies in Rio. It’s not anymore news that
some of the athletes such as weightlifter Mariam Usman have vowed that they
won’t represent Nigeria again.
After the tournament, the story remained
unchangeable. Earlier, a Japanese plastic surgeon and football enthusiast, Mr.
Katsuya Takasu promised the Dream Team players who were reportedly down by
financial inadequacies, that he would donate some cash to boost their morale.
Having defeated Honduras on Saturday 20th August, Mr. Takasu thought
it wise to fulfill his pledge, thus he graciously gave the team $390,000. The
donor further gave the sharing ratio; hence, the team coach - Siasia and its
captain – Mikel Obi were asked to take $200,000 and $190,000 respectively. But reports
emerged that some officials of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) tried to hijack
the process and demanded that the prospective donor must hand the money to them
for onward disbursement to team members. One may ask: on what grounds were the
officials agitating to ‘hijack’ a match bonus?
Our last outing in London was obviously
poor and disastrous, thus any right thinking Nigerian both home and abroad
expected compensation in Brazil. Though our Dream Team VI were able to acquire
bronze owing to passion and sheer luck, 20 years after it defeated Argentina to
clinch gold at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, it’s noteworthy that, generally,
Nigeria’s outing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was as well pathetic. The
consolatory medal won by the male footballers unequivocally indicates a clarion
call for restructuring of the country’s sports at large.
It’s on record that the bane of Nigeria’s
sports industry, ab initio, has been inadequate or non preparation whenever a
competition is awaited, which is often occasioned by administrative error. Most
times when the officials of the various sport authorities in the country are
expected to mean business, they would rather prefer to indulge in frivolous
politics thereby ending up creating quagmire. Though it’s obvious that there’s
an element of politics in whatever we do here on earth, it’s imperative to
acknowledge that while discussing how to fortify the nation’s sports arena,
politics is required to be set aside.
For
crying out loud, four years is good enough for any preparation, and Olympics
aren’t exceptional. We can’t be confidently told that if a competent and
reliable fund-raising committee was set up by the apt quarters toward the Rio
Olympic Games, Nigeria wouldn’t boast of reasonable sum of money needed to
cater for the overall preparations. The plight remains inability to comprehend
what to do as well as how best and when to implement it. Rather than
concentrate on the needful, the men we entrusted our sports to keep dancing
Makosa when they are meant to dance Reggae, or vice-versa. Honestly, there’s a
compelling need for a rethink.
The country has every required potential
talent and facility towards participating in any Olympic game to include
swimming, golf, table cum long tennis, gymnastics, boxing, javelin, and shot-put;
name them. The needed human and natural resources are conspicuously abound; all
we need to do is to harness them by using the appropriate technique and
mechanism. It’s quite appalling that the intra/inter-school sports
competitions, which used to be the talk of the day, are currently no longer in
vogue as a result of apathy, laxity, and what have you.
Every socio-cultural sporting activity
that used to speak volumes has abruptly vanished into thin air. All the country
needs at this point is indeed, restructuring and nothing more. Think about it!
Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor
(TheMediaAmbassador)-Researcher, Blogger, Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-
Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
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