Nigeria’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics ended without a medal, marking the eighth time the country has failed to win an Olympic medal.
This disappointing result raised concerns about the current state of sports development in Nigeria.
official statement
Following the poor performance, Nigeria’s Minister of Sports, John Owan Enoh, issued a public statement apologizing for the team’s failure to live up to expectations. “As we look forward to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games (August 28-September 8), we must apologize to our compatriots and reflect on what we did wrong,” the Minister began.
“Our performance could have been better…obviously it was below our goals, expectations and the wishes of Nigerians,” Henoh said.
He acknowledged the challenges facing the ministry, including the short preparation period for the Olympics. “When I took over as Minister of Sports Development in August 2023, I was faced with the task of delivering four international competitions within a few months: AFCON, the African Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.” he stated. He explained.
Despite these challenges, Hainaut expressed confusion at the team’s underwhelming performance. “We owe Nigerians an explanation,” he said, announcing a comprehensive review process to assess the preparation of players, the performance of coaches and the role of management staff.
Emphasizing the need to learn lessons and improve, Enoh said, “We deserve more…Let’s turn the disastrous result of the 2024 Olympics into a huge positive for Nigerian sport.”
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Also read: Paris 2024: Brumet misses out on long jump medal, further blow to Nigeria team
The Sports Minister also highlighted efforts to support athletes, including training camps on land and at sea and financial support from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federation, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has assured us that funding is not a limiting factor,” Mr Enoh said.
However, poor performance has raised questions about the effectiveness of these efforts and the need for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s sports development programme.
“There is much to learn from our performance and we must improve on all impacts,” the minister said.
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