The world must never forget the month of June 1976. And it is not because in that month I was freshly minted as a graduate of Mechanical Engineering, travelled to Europe for the first time in my life, and achieved what all athletes devote their entire careers trying to attain – the status of a ‘god’ by becoming an Olympian. No, none of that.
On July 16, exactly one month after June 16, 1976, and a few hours before the opening ceremony of the 21st edition of the Summer Olympic Games, the world ‘ended’ for many African athletes. Their dreams and ambitions were shattered, sacrificed on the altar of political expediency for reasons that they were not aware of at the time due to events far removed from Montreal, Canada, where over 6000 athletes seeking lifetime ambitions had assembled to chase their dreams.
That night, athletes from 29 countries (27 African) were sent out of the Games Village by the international Olympic Committee in reaction to the call for a boycott of the Games by their countries to support a cause in South Africa.
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It all started on June 16, 1976. The date is now a national public holiday in South Africa, set aside to mark how 20,000 Black school children took to the streets in the township of Soweto, for a peaceful protest against the introduction of Afrikaans language (considered language of the Apartheid oppressors) in schools. In quelling the protest, the police opened fire on the protesters killing an estimated 800 (or more) young Black students.
The entire country was engulfed and many Black activists that joined in the struggle were arrested, with several ending up in jails or fleeing the country into exile.
The incident is recorded in history. It marked a watershed in South African history, leading to significant political developments that changed the story of the country including the eventual abolition of the Apartheid system of government, the independence of South Africa (and several countries including Zimbabwe, known then as Rhodesia), the release of Nelson Mandela and several other political prisoners from jail, and the election of the first Black President of South Africa.
These developments were ignited by the ‘1976 Uprising in Soweto’.
For one month after, up until July 16, 1976, sport became subtly involved with a global call by the United Nations for the isolation of South Africa from all international sporting events.
Otherwise, as ordinary citizens of the world, all of us going to the Olympics as athletes were as distant and remote from the events in Soweto as the stars are from the moon.
Totally unconnected and unrelated, the athletes had been training hard and preparing, some for 4 years, for the start of the two weeks that could change their lives forever, when life-time dreams would become a reality, when their ambition to appear at the world’s greatest sports stage and to be listed amongst the ‘gods’ of sport, will be fulfilled.
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Those outside of sport may never understand this, but a poll conducted by an international Magazine on the eve of the 1996 Olympics revealed that many athletes would choose to take drugs, win an Olympic medal and die shortly after, than to just participate cleanly and not win anything.
To win an Olympic medal is an athlete’s ultimate dream besides the offering of fame, glamour, riches and power! That’s why Raphael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and a host of other famous, rich and successful athletes would still desire an Olympic medal (without any financial rewards) to make their careers complete.
Whilst in that spirit on July 16, 1976, after participating in the dress rehearsals for the March past of the opening ceremony, the athletes from the 29 protesting countries were given an hour to leave the Olympic Village.
That’s how their dreams were shattered and their hopes dashed. Many never recovered from the shock, disappointment and pain of the missed opportunity. The saddest part is that, even as they were bundled from the Olympics before the whole world, they were completely forgotten after that by the world.
Since 1976, their story has not been recalled or retold. No one has asked what happened to the individual athletes after the games.
Two years ago, for the first time in history, several of the athletes from Nigeria, and Filbert Bayi from Tanzania met, and shared their individual stories. The stories revealed unbelievable depths of pain and of unquantifiable loss, with tears flowing from the eyes of those present as the athletes unburdened their hearts and released the frustration and depression of almost half a Century.
Several of them had gone into depression, drugs and alcoholism. Many had died in frustration. For some, there was no second chance to return to the Olympics. Meanwhile, their involuntary ‘sacrifice’ had changed the world! For the next two Olympics in 1980 and 1984, boycotts became weapons of global politics and diplomacy that shook the world.
Presently, preparations to mark the 50th anniversary of the ‘1976 Soweto Uprising’ have started in South Africa.
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Not a word of the 1976 Olympics and the sacrifice by over a hundred athletes from 27 African countries and Iraq and Guyana are being recalled for mention. The organizers either do not know or do not remember.
South Africans, generally, are not even aware of the events of Montreal 1976 as a major part of their South African story.
Interestingly, until the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs unearthed the story, assembled some of the surviving athletes in Nigeria and honoured them with the support of a patriotic Nigerian, Dr. Allen Onyema and his airline, Air Peace, the world had forgotten about the athletes sacrificed in seeking freedom and justice for the Black Race.
As June 16, 2026 approaches, my friends (Idorenyin Uyoe, BIki Minyuku, Pet, Lawrie Golding, Ron Freeman) and I are embarking on a project to remind the world about 1976 and about the still unacknowledged and unheralded athletes.
The difficulty in unearthing the past continues quietly. Some very interesting names of those involved from different countries are popping up and creating excitement amongst us. Until now, even I did not know that the following famous athletes were a part of the 1976 historic boycott, a very significant part of African history that the world must never forget!
A short list:
Algeria: Abdelkader Zaddem
Kenya: John Ngugi,Henry Rono, Mike Boit, Benjamin Jipcho.
Tanzania: Filbert Bayi, Suleiman Nuambui.
Ethiopia: Miruts Yifter
Morocco: Ahmed Faras
Uganda: John Akii Bua
Cameroon: Theophile Abega, Roger Milla
Ghana: George Aidoo, Kwasi Owusu
Zambia: Godfrey Chitalu
Guinea: Ibrahim Keita
Malawi: David Phiri
Mali: Souleman Traore
Sierra Leone: John Kamara
Zimbabwe: Bernard Dzoma
Nigeria: Christian Chukwu
