While other nations prepared for Paris 2024, Nigeria waited until near departure time to make moves towards participation.

At the end, serious minded contingents left France with medals while the ‘Giant of Africa’ fell flat with nothing but shame as reward. To produce Olympic champions is not a fire brigade task.

It takes years of planning which involves sound administration, monitoring, mentoring, sponsorship and competitions, to mould a potential medallist. Nigeria simply failed to plan.

This shoddy approach becomes obvious when you place 200 metres gold medallist, Letsile Tebogo, of Botswana alongside Nigeria’s Udodi Onwuzuruike.

Both athletes hit global limelight as juniors at the Nairobi 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships. Onwuzuruike won gold in the 200 metres, dusting 100 metres champion, Tebogo who picked the silver medal. It was Nigeria’s best outing, with four gold medals and three bronze, to finish third, behind Kenya and Finland.

At the subsequent Cali 2022 edition, Tebogo retained his 100 metres gold, hit silver again in the 200 metres and what Nigerians got was exactly what they brought back from Paris 2024 – zero medals. A case of from hero to zero in just 12 months.

Tebogo showed progression by winning the Olympics 200 metres gold, the first African achievement in that event. He also made it to the 100 metres final and grabbed another medal in the 4×400 men’s relay. The Southern African showed class in the 200 metres by outpacing three Americans, Kenneth Bednarek, Noah Lyles, the swashbuckling 100 metres champion, and Erriyon Knighton.

There were three other Africans in the final, the Zimbabwean duo of Tapiwanashe Makarawu, Makanalaishe Charamba and Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh. Onwuzuruike could not make it to the final. He had to depend on a second chance, known as the newly introduced Repechage, to qualify for the semis where he finished seventh.

That sums up the Nigerian story. Favour Ofili was part of the Nairobi 2021 contingent. She won gold in the women’s 4×400 relay with Debora Opeyemi, Imaobong Nse Uko and Ella Onojuvwervo. Her other medal, a bronze, came in the 4×100 relay which involved Praise Ofoku, Anita Taviore

The Federal Government has to spend more money on sports to change the narrative. The country is blessed with stars that can transform to superstars if properly managed and Tima Godbless. Imaobong was the superstar of the Nairobi World Juniors. She left with three gold medals, having won the 400 metres and was part of the 4×400 metres mixed relay team that included Johnson Nnamani, Deborah Opeyemi and Bamidele Ajayi.

Expectations were high that Imaobong would become another Falilat Ogunkoya or step into the shoes of Fatima Yusuf, Charity Opara and Bisi Afolabi. She left for the United States after Nairobi and her form has dipped. Perhaps, Nigeria let the girl down by not schooling the quarter miler on the tough task of combining studies with runs in the US.

At Paris 2024, Favour was heartbroken even before she hit the tracks. Her name got missing from the 100 metres list. She qualified for the final of the 200 metres but finished in the sixth position. Ofili’s tears attracted global media attention. The Nigerian story is pathetic.

A country that was known for top rated sprinters and quarter milers, struggled all through in Paris. The relay teams were at their lowest. Eniofok Udobong, a Sydney 2000 4×400 golden boy who relocated to Saudi Arabia where decency is respected, is sad. At Barcelona ’92, Olapade Adeniken and Davidson Ezinwa made it to the 100 metres final. Adeniken and Oluyemi Kayode qualified for the 200 metres final.

At Atlanta ’96, Falilat and Fatima got into the last race in the women’s 400 metres. Long before them, Sunday Uti and Innocent Egbunike were in the final of the Los Angeles ’84 quarter mile event. The Federal Government has to spend more money on sports to change the narrative.

The country is blessed with stars that can transform to superstars if properly managed. President Bola Tinubu must wade in because sports have gone beyond mere recreation. National prestige and international bragging rights are involved. Politicians should be excised from the running of the various sports federations.

Some officials have also overstayed their welcome and have shown that they are more interested in their pockets than in developing the athletes.

Three Nigerians qualified for the women’s long jump final, an event that gave the country a first Olympic gold, in 1996. All three could achieve nothing near the mark set by Chioma Ajunwa at Atlanta all those years ago. The situation is that bad. (New Telegraph Editorial)

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