Team Nigeria suffered a stunning body blow in Paris as major medal hopeful, Tobi Amusan had a shocker as the world record holder was eliminated in the 110m Hurdles following a slow start in her Semi-Final Heat. Her 3rd placed, 12.55 seconds finish was ultimately not good enough as one of the fastest qualifiers.
It was a double whammy when it was realized that a possible reprieve opportunity was lost because Team Nigeria officials did not lodge a protest on time as French qualifier Samba-Mayela stepped out of her lane and should have been disqualified.
Weightlifter Joy Eze – a last hope for possibly a surprise medal placing in the Women’s 71kg category put up a spirited challenge but eventually finished 7th.
Also Read: Beyond Paris 2024 – Nigeria, At The Edge…..Of Greatness! –Odegbami
It capped a forgettable Olympics for Team Nigeria, characterized by a doping violation in boxing , a yet to be explained athlete exclusion in Track and Field and an embarrassing incident of wrong equipment in Cycling all combining to put a negative spin on Team Nigeria’s outing in Paris.
In a swift reaction, Sports Minister John Enoh held a Media Parley at the Nigerian Consulate in Paris where he fielded questions from Nigerian Journalists covering the Games. He assured that lessons from the poor outing will be the catalyst for necessary Sports Sector reforms, some already in place, to put the country on the right path to recovery in an industry where he admitted Nigeria simply wasn’t living up to her true potential.
It’s London 2012 all over again.
Deja Vu…….
By Deji Omotoyinbo, in Paris
1 Comment
“…It was a double whammy when it was realized that a possible reprieve opportunity was lost because Team Nigeria officials did not lodge a protest on time as French qualifier Samba-Mayela stepped out of her lane and should have been disqualified….”
Is anyone still in doubt of where our problems lie.
Please what is the business of our sports minister and his entourage in Paris in the first place….?
The entire ministry is in Paris, yet we are having these glaringly nauseating levels of administrative incompetence on display, frustrating the efforts of the last 4 years of our athletes…culmimating in the most embarassing one where our cyclist had to borrow a bicycle to race….?????
These are things one would expect people like Uncle Segun Odegami to be vehement and vociferous about….but No. This is where his own bread his buttered too. Talking about it will mean no more perks and free all expense paid trips Courtesy of we know who…..!!! Pulling down hardworking and results-guaranteeing white coaches and foreign born players for black-skinned mediocres seems to be his calling.
In an olympics where we have seen our own full blooded Nigerians winning medals for other countries such as Bahrain, Germany, USA and several others of Nigerian heritage fly the flags of other countries, coming home empty handed is way beyond shameful. Hell a Botswanan even won gold in athletics.
It’s obvious the talent is there, but every other thing needed for success in absence. And one dude was asking me if I was encouraging ofilli to dump Nigeria….?
No, I’m not encouraging ofili alone now, I’m encouraging ALL who have represented Nigeria at this olympics to not hesistate to switch allegiances if the opportunity should present itself. That country has proven time and again that it’s not worth dying for.
Even the anthem that tells us the labour of our heroes shall never be in vain has been scrapped by the government of Baal that is currently in power, so everyone should realize they are on their own from now on.
I can’t imagine any corporate environment where you will be given N12bn to pursue an assignment and then return with nothing to show for it and still keep your job……I just cant.
Let me drop my pen for now before their poverty striken, decompsedly educated, mediocrity celebrating money-miss-road worshippers will accuse me of insulting “people that matter”.