Paris 2024 Olympics Review: No applause for Team Nigeria’s flop at Paris 2024 Olympics

Posted : 14 August 2024

It is such sad news and a bitter pill to swallow to realize that Team Nigeria actually returned from the Paris 2024 Olympics empty-handed, without even a single medal, despite the hype created by both the government and the team themselves.

For a team that boasts high-performance athletes, including a world record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobiloba Amusan, returning without even a bronze medal is a shameful and shambolic outing by all standards.

To make matters worse, virtually all the members of Team Nigeria had exited the tournament even before the quadrennial event wound down on Sunday at Stade de France.

With a total of 88 athletes participating in 12 sports for Nigeria at the Paris Olympic Games held from July 26 to Aug. 11, such numbers failed to translate into success.

Team Nigeria competed in badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, football, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling.

While the Americans led the medal count with a total of 126 medals, surpassing China’s 91, and both countries tied with 40 gold medals, Nigeria has nothing to show for its appearances.

To put it bluntly, Team Nigeria at the just-concluded Olympics endured one of its worst performances since joining the Olympic movement as an independent country at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Zero gold. Zero silver. Zero bronze.

The embarrassing outing matched that of Mexico 1968, Moscow 1980, Seoul 1988, and London 2012. Even as a debutant in 1964, Nigeria won one bronze medal.

At Rio 2016, Nigeria managed one silver medal. Four years later in Tokyo, the country won one silver and one bronze. The most successful year was 1996 when Nigeria won two gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.

At least nine African countries, including Kenya and South Africa, won gold, but the “Giant of Africa,” with over 200 million people, returned empty-handed.

This was despite over N12 billion being released for this year’s Olympics, which is almost twice the amount budgeted for the entire Ministry of Science and Technology for 2024.

The Sports Minister confirmed before the start of the Games that the Federal Government approved and released over N12 billion for Team Nigeria, with N9 billion budgeted for the Olympics.

The remaining N3 billion is expected to cater to the Paralympics team, which will be held in the same city from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

Sports analysts say many factors are responsible for Nigeria’s abysmal performance, including administrative shortcomings and poor talent management.

Nigeria had glimpses of success, but hope was dashed as the athletes who carried the dreams of the sports-loving country failed to shine.

Tobi Amusan did not make the final of the women’s 100 meters hurdles, despite coming into the Games as the world record holder.

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Ese Brume finished fifth in the women’s long jump, while Blessing Oborududu suffered a painful defeat, ending her contest in the women’s 68kg wrestling event without a podium finish.

Hannah Reuben lost her Women’s Freestyle 76kg fight early Saturday, effectively putting the country’s slim hopes of making the podium to rest.

Mongolia’s Enkh-Amaryn Davaanasan defeated her 5-2 in the round of 16 tie, capping off the country’s worst Olympic outing since London 2012.

The female basketball team, D’Tigress, showed a glimmer of hope after beating top teams, Australia and Canada, to make it to the quarter-finals. But they fell short against their U.S. counterparts.

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In addition to the poor performance, the country also dealt with a handful of controversies at the Games.

The most prominent was the exclusion of Favour Ofili from the women’s 100 meters race despite holding one of the best qualifying times.

Another was the revelation by Ese Ukpeseraye that she had to borrow a track bike from the German team to perform in the Keirin cycling event.

The administrative issues continued with athletes agitating over the disparity between the amount paid to foreign-based athletes and their home-based counterparts.

Nigeria-based athletes who represented the country at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games demanded the same training grants as their foreign-based counterparts.

It was learned that the foreign-based athletes were paid $5,000 as their training grant for the Games, while their local counterparts received $1,000.

However, it was not all doom for Nigeria, as Ofili became the first Nigerian to make the women’s 200 meters final in 28 years, while Samuel Ogazi also broke a 38-year jinx by making the men’s 400m final.

Additionally, Nigeria had three athletes—Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor—in the women’s long jump final event.

Japan finished third with 20 gold, 12 silver, and 13 bronze for a total of 45, while Australia came in fourth place with 18 gold, 19 silver, and 16 bronze for a total of 53.

But no factor arguably counted more against Nigeria than talent migration, as while Nigeria won no medal, several athletes of Nigerian descent won laurels of different hues for their adopted countries.

Some of these athletes include Yemisi Ogunleye (gold, Shot put, Germany), Samuel Omorodion (gold, football, Spain), Michael Olise (silver, football, France), Anette Echikunwoke (silver, hammer throw, U.S.), and Barthélémy Chinenyeze (gold, volleyball, France).

Others include Salwa Eid Naser (silver, Bahrain, 400 meters), formerly known as Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu, who performed at the 2013 School Sports in Port Harcourt and the National Youth Games in Ilorin, and Femi “Bam” Adebayo (gold, U.S. basketball, men).

There was also Rasheed Adeleke of the Republic of Ireland. Though she did not have a podium finish at the Olympics, she has been an Irish national record holder. Ayomide Folorunsho competed for Italy in the women’s 400m.

Similarly, Saheed Idowu competed in the Table Tennis event wearing the colors of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Out of these seven athletes who won medals, the story of Echikunwoke was the most touching as it was reported that she was set to compete for Nigeria way back at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before switching her allegiance to the U.S.

Echikunwoke could have competed in green and white, but for administrative oversight by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Instead, the 28-year-old became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the hammer throw event.

The AFN had failed to comply with a rule that requires athletes to undergo three out-of-competition tests within a 10-month period before a major event.

Echikunwoke said she had provided her whereabouts to the AFN six times in that timeframe, but no one came to test her in the USA.

Indeed, Echikunwoke’s story is just one among many of such Nigerian athletes who chose to migrate to other foreign countries for one reason or another.

Some have had to endure and put up with such nonchalant attitudes and negligence from the Sports Ministry, Athletics Federation of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).

A case in point is that of Nigerian athlete Favour Ofili, who expressed her disappointment and frustration after being omitted from the 100m Women’s event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

This unpardonable exclusion has been attributed to the negligence of both the AFN and the NOC. Ofili took to Instagram to voice her frustration.

Ofili later competed in the 200m race but ended up with a disappointing sixth place in the final.

Sports Minister John Owan-Enoh had pledged to implement severe actions to make amends and assuage the anger of the sports fraternity.

In a statement on his official X account, Enoh expressed strong dissatisfaction with the AFN and the NOC for their mishandling of the registration process.

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Enoh criticized the negligence, declaring it unacceptable and promising that those responsible would face sanctions after a thorough investigation.

Why do Nigerian elite athletes easily accept nationality switches?

Analysts say the first reason is the search for better facilities and training opportunities. Foreign countries may offer superior training facilities, coaching, and support staff, giving athletes a competitive edge.

Unfortunately, Nigeria’s sports system faces challenges like inadequate funding, poor facilities, and administrative issues, driving athletes to seek opportunities elsewhere.

There is also the issue of financial incentives, as some countries offer attractive financial packages, scholarships, or sponsorships to athletes, which can be a significant draw.

Citizenship and residency requirements are also factors, as athletes may have dual citizenship or residency in another country, making it easier to represent that nation.

Last but not least is the Olympic eligibility rules, whereby the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows athletes to switch nationalities under certain conditions, making it possible for Nigerians to compete for other countries even after competing under the green-white-green flag.

It’s indeed a complex issue with various factors contributing to their decisions. However, it is essential to acknowledge the athletes’ personal choices and decisions while also addressing the underlying issues in Nigeria’s sports system.

Sports Entrepreneur and Chairman of the Gombe State Athletics Association, Ahmed Gara-Gombe, says there is a need for an overhaul, starting with the removal of the Sports Minister.

Gara-Gombe said that Tinubu should also impose serious sanctions on the NOC President, Habu Gumel, and the AFN President, Tonobok Okowa, as a deterrent for negligence.

“The negligence, inefficiency, and corruption that have deeply affected Nigerian sports are the root cause of this.”

Godwin Bamigboye, the National Coordinator of the Association of Football Administrators in Nigeria (AFAN), criticized the handling of the athletes, especially the disparity in treatment between the foreign-based and home-based athletes.

However, only time will tell what lies ahead for the future of Nigerian sports.

Paris 2024 Olympics Review: No applause for Team Nigeria’s flop at Paris 2024 Olympics

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