Sports officials are calling for a comprehensive forensic investigation following the disastrous performance of Nigeria’s team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nigeria’s athletes left Paris without winning a single medal for the eighth time in the country’s Olympic history, having previously won no medals in Helsinki in 1952, Melbourne in 1956, Rome in 1960, Mexico in 1968 and Moscow in 1980. Past tournaments such as , 1988 Seoul and London also ended in disappointing results. 2012. The country failed to win a single medal for the eighth time in Olympic history, sparking anger and calls for accountability.
Donatus Agu-Ejidike, a pillar of the Nigerian sporting world, took the lead in calling for a forensic investigation into the team’s mismanagement. He highlighted star athlete Favor Ofili’s withdrawal from the 100m event as a classic example of administrative incompetence.
Mr Agu-Ejidike also expressed deep concern over the loss of Nigerian talent to other countries due to lack of management.
“The most pathetic of them all, as a result of the chronic administrative incompetence that characterizes Nigeria’s sports administration, is that of Annette, who suffered the same fate as Ofili in Tokyo three years ago when she wanted to represent Nigeria. Echikun Walk and switched international allegiance to the United States,” and this time won a silver medal in the hammer throw. “Yemisi Ogunleye, also from Nigeria, won a gold medal for Germany in the shot put and the list goes on and on,” Agu-Ejidike said.
A sports philanthropist from Anambra State has described the performance of the Nigerian team as “shabby and unacceptable” and insisted those responsible for the failure should be held accountable. He questioned how the more than NOK 12 billion spent by the federal government for the Paris Olympics had no impact on the country’s medal prospects.
Gombe State Athletics Association Chairman Ahmed Gala Gombe cited Nigeria’s disastrous defeat in Paris as a national shame, citing the exclusion of top athlete Favor Ofili and the overall poor performance. He blamed the Ministry of Sports.
“Fafau Ofili was not on the list for the 100m event and the overall performance of the Nigerian team at the Olympics was very disappointing,” Gombe said, as quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria. “And it’s a grave embarrassment for the president and all sports officials.”
He criticized the minister for promoting corruption in the sports sector.
“The root cause of this is the neglect, inefficiency and corruption that is deeply entrenched in Nigerian sports,” he added.
“Unfortunately, the sports minister has encouraged corruption in the sports sector, which is why we are in such a mess at AFN.”
Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) President Isaiah Benjamin said the poor performance was due to administrative incompetence and negligence. He questioned the basis for sports authorities’ high expectations despite a lack of preparation.
“Before the Olympics, Nigerians should have believed that all was well. The Ministry of Sports assured us that Nigeria’s performance at the 2024 Olympics would surpass Nigeria’s all-time best performance at the 1996 Atlanta Games. I continued to do so,” Benjamin said via NAN.
“All members of the Nigerian media were equally surprised to hear that the reason for Nigeria’s sub-optimal performance in Paris was due to lack of preparation by the respective sports federations. “It has now become clear that the focus was solely on securing Olympic qualification and not on preparing for Olympic performance,” he said.
Stakeholders unanimously agreed that Nigeria’s sports system is in urgent need of reform, stressing the need for merit-based appointments, adequate funding and improved athlete welfare.
As Nigeria grapples with the aftermath of the Olympic debacle, calls for a forensic investigation are growing louder, with many hoping it will bring about major changes in the way the sport is run in Nigeria.
Anthony Nurebem
He is Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, an experienced digital content producer, and a FIFA/CAF accredited journalist with over 10 years of experience in sports reporting. He has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and is skilled at delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.
