Nigeria’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was a costly venture that yielded no medals
The FG timely approved N12bn for Nigeria’s participation in the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games to ensure a respectable outing.
However, as the curtain drops on the Paris Olympic Games which gulped N9bn, there’s a tendency to conclude that the humongous money spent has gone down the drain, given Team Nigeria’s failure to win any medals.
Unlike other African countries like Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, and even Cape Verde, who all featured on the final medals table, Nigeria was not mentioned among the over 90 nations that made it to the podium across various events.
Beyond medals
Despite the lack of medals, there are positives to build upon as the countdown to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games begins.
Nigeria showed improvement in athletics, with six finalists, up from four in Tokyo 2020 and two in Rio 2016. This progress is a testament to the potential of Nigerian athletes.
Favour Ofili made history as the first Nigerian woman to reach the 200m final since Mary Onyali achieved the feat at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. With proper support, Ofili has a huge chance of making it to the podium at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Similarly, 18-year-old Samuel Ogazi became the first Nigerian man to reach the 400m final since Innocent Egbunike’s feat at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Ogazi’s youthful age and huge potential make him another prospect to be nurtured for the Los Angeles Games.
Another positive from the Paris Olympic Games was in the Long Jump event, where the trio of Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor made history as the first time three Nigerians reached the finals in one event.
Additionally, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finished sixth in the Shot Put event final, a notable achievement. Nigeria also made history as the first African team to reach an Olympic basketball quarterfinal.
The feat by the Nigeria women’s basketball team will reverberate around the continent and the globe for years to come.
Nigeria also recorded another historic feat with Ese Ukpeseraye, the country’s first cyclist to feature in an Olympic Games.
Apology to Nigerians
Already, Nigeria’s Sports Minister, John Owan Enoh, has apologized for the disappointing outing and is ready to spearhead a revolution in the country’s sports circle. He acknowledged the need for lessons to be learned and improvements made, saying:
“The Olympic Games, Paris 2024, has ended, and I accept that our performance should have been a lot better. It obviously fell short of our objectives, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians. I must apologize to our compatriots and reflect on what went wrong while looking forward to the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 (August 28 – September 8th).”
“There must be a lot of lessons to learn from our performance, and improvements must be made in all ramifications. The last time we returned from the Olympics without a medal was in 2012. The next two Olympics after that, we’ve had a bronze medal in 2016 and a silver and bronze in the 2020 Olympics. As a country, we deserve more. Let’s turn the disastrous outcome of the 2024 Olympics to a huge positive for Nigerian sports.”
