The disastrous outing of Team Nigeria at the just ended 2016 Rio Olympic games in Brazil was an experience abundant in lessons; not the least of which is the lack of focus and seriousness of purpose by Nigerian sports management officials, who stopped at nothing to make sure Team Nigeria put up a less than honorable performance at the 31st Olympiad. Team Nigeria was embroiled in one crisis after another during the games. They were stranded for several days at their training base in Atlanta before flying to Brazil, and then their official ceremonial outfits, only arrived three days to the end of the games forcing athletes to appear in tracksuits during the opening ceremony.
The row over bonuses that has become the bane of Nigerian football continue to subdue the country’s potential, with Olympic football squad coach, Samson Siasia, joining players who threatened to boycott their quarter-final game against Denmark over unpaid bonuses. As if all that was not enough, the Nigerian House that was supposed to be the hub of Nigeria’s cultural and commercial activities at the Olympics was non-existent. Although Team Nigeria ranked 75th out of 205 participating countries, Nigeria only managed one bronze medal in football. This is disheartening; even more so, because no one has been fired for the international embarrassment. The President must read the riot act and demand accountability; heads must roll.
To whom much is given; much is expected. For failing to provide the atmosphere conducive to optimal performance for team Nigeria, Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, NFF President Amaju Pinnick, NOC President, Habu Gumel and others responsible for the mess in Rio have earned themselves the sack. Team Nigeria, its officials and the country, even the fans invested so much in resources, time and energy in anticipation of a successful outing. But it turned out to be a tragedy and comedy of errors. The national embarrassment turned into an international disgrace when team members could not get tickets to travel. Many of them went on social media begging for help.
After four botched attempts, the Olympic football team arrived Brazil three hours to kick-off, but defied the odds to defeat Japan (5-4). The team was delayed because of a row between players and the NFF over bonuses; which paradoxically remains unresolved. With a warning that their battle over bonuses is not over, the mutinous footballers manage to reach the semi-finals where their luck ran out against a well-organized German side that eliminated them. The row over bonuses that has become the bane of Nigerian football continues to subdue the country’s potential, and the ability of our players to re-enact the Nigerian qualities.
Nigeria was the only country in the world whose contingent went to Rio 2016, as a team of beggars. The team arrive the tournament after being stranded for four days in Atlanta; and got to Brazil through the philanthropy of Delta Airlines. The country might be in recession, but we should not become a nation of beggars. The question everyone seems to be asking is: what happened to the money that was voted for the Olympics? Nigeria appeared to be the most unprepared nation during the opening ceremony, the laughing stock of the entire world.
You don’t need to win any medal, but during the opening ceremony, you can show some swag and win an undeclared gold medal, just by your appearance. Nigeria was just not there. Nigerian officials could not even respect the statutory International Olympic Committee (IOC) quota rules. The IOC is only responsible for feeding, flights and accommodation for 25 accredited players and officials. Nigeria had eight unaccredited persons -four players and four officials – with the team. At one point hotel security blocked football players from leaving because of unpaid bills by unaccredited delegates, to the tune of a paltry $4,600.
What a disgrace; where else in the world has such a thing happen? How can a country which lays claim to continental and global prominence; the self-acclaimed giant of Africa be having problems paying bonuses to players and athletes who defend the national colors in distant lands and bring home glory; whereas sports administrators help themselves to billions through corruption and incurable money-mindedness? The issue of bonuses have become like an elephant waking up after a long sleep, casually brushing itself, and then going back to sleep. Amid the shoddy preparations, the problems of Team Nigeria were swept under the carpet. But like a festering sore, it came to the open.
The authorities failed woefully to create the ideal conditions for Team Nigeria to excel. Even bright sparks like boxer Efe Ajagba and African table tennis sensation Aruna Quadri, were virtually abandoned to improvise their way through the games against the backdrop of skepticism and cynicism about the capacity of the athletes, and their preparedness to do battle against more cohesive opponents. Ajagba remains the metaphor for Nigerian greatness in Rio 2016. Quadri surprised many by making it to the quarterfinal of the men’s singles event after beating two of the world’s top players to become the first African to play in the last eight of the Olympics.
If boxing bouts were won solely by the fighter’s determination and ability to withstand jabs, Ajagba would have won gold. He was the least prepared boxer, with only one coach and a doctor in his ringside. He gave his all in his quarterfinal clash, but he lost in a unanimous decision, to the world number two rated pugilist, Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dychko. Ajagba revealed that he is quitting amateur boxing for a professional life, saying: “you cannot compare me, who trained for less than three months, with my opponents who had three years to prepare for the Olympics. I have tried so much as an amateur but the frustration is too much for me to continue like this. I just have to move on.” Ajagba will most likely represent Canada in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. To Be Continued!
