Olympics 2024: Shame As Team Nigeria Returns Home Empty Handed

By Akinwale Kasali

Hopes were high when Team Nigeria left Nigeria for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Nigerians expected, at least, one Gold Medal and a couple of others in Silver and/or Bronze.

But it was hope shattered; hope misplaced. Nigeria had its worst outing in the history of Olympics recent history.

The Nigerian Contingent to the Games were not only disappointing, but performed woefully. They broke the heart of Nigerians, and punctured the Country’s pride. Their outing was a jamboree and waste of money and time. It was the shame of a country – Africa’s most populated Country.

As the Games came  to an end at the Paris Stadium, France, Nigeria’s name will not be on the Medals table, marking a repeat of London. It was a repeat of London 2012, Seoul 1988, Moscow 1980, Mexico 1968, Rome 1960, Melbourne 1956 and Helsinki 1952.

The country took about 77 athletes and  registered for 12 events, but sadly – like previous Games, this failed to translate its continental dominance at the Olympics.

The failure of the most populous black nation to win a medal has led to series of heartbreaking losses and exposed some administrative lapses.

President Bola Tinubu had approved N12 billion for the country’s outing at the Olympics and the Paralympics. N9bn was earmarked for the former while N 3bn was budgeted for the latter. Disappointingly, the huge amount spent did nothing to change this shameful out.

Not a few people are now asking why the huge amount of money was not pumped  into something positive to cushion the economic hardship, hunger and sufferings the masses are going through.

The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, correctly  described the performance at the 2024 Olympics as a disaster.

“Yesterday, I met with gentlemen of the press at the Nigerian Embassy in Paris for a press briefing following the country’s participation in the 2024 Olympics. As we go back home, we must do everything to prevent future occurrences of the Paris disaster and if this will entail the review of how people are elected to lead our Sporting Federations, it will be done.

“The elections for the Federations are around the corner, and it will be the perfect platform to get only those who are most eligible to lead the various sports federations,” he wrote on his X handle on Saturday.

“Team Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the country did not secure any medals does not entail being addressed just by our participation at the Olympics, but it is a product of very many other things that need immediate attention.

“We did everything as a Ministry to prepare the athletes adequately and provide them with every financial support, but unfortunately, the performance did not produce any podium finish”.

Tobi Amusan, World Record Holder in the 100 Meters Hurdles was one of the athletes the nation had hoped would win a medal. Sadly, she did not only disappoint her fans and the country, she didn’t even make it to the finals. She was an embarrassing disappointment. She failed when it mattered most.

She also failed to lead the 4×100 Meters Relay Female Team to success, as the Team failed at the Preliminary stage.

The 4×400 Meters Male Team were disqualified for infringement in their Semi Final race. They lost their spot to South Africa.

The Nigerian Wrestlers and Boxers all failed to make it to the next round of preliminaries,  just as the Table Tennis Team, led by Aruna Quadri, failed to make it out of the first round,  both at the individual and doubles events.

Nigeria, only made history courtesy of Rene Wakama Coached Female Senior Basketball Ball Team popularly known as D’Tigress, who got the nation to the Quarter Finals, having defeated Basketball Powerhouses, Australia and Canada. The team thus  became the first African Team- both Male and Female – to make it to that stage at the Olympics. Yet, what did it matter?

The National Female Football Team, Super Falcons, couldn’t make it to the knock out stage of the football competition. The team lost three group matches to Brazil,  Spain and Japan. Their failure was no surprise as no one gave them a chance of making it out of the group, considering the pedigree  of the three other teams.

Hannah Reuben remained the only medal hope for Nigeria, but she lost her Women’s Freestyle 76kg fight early Saturday morning to effectively put the country’s slim hope of making the podium to rest.

She lost 5-2 to Mongolia’s Enkh-Amaryn Davaanasan in the round of 16 tie, capping off a woeful showing for the West African nation.