By Abiola Olawale
Calls for the resignation of the Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, have begun to emerge from certain quarters in the country as Nigeria failed to register a single medal in the ongoing Paris Olympic Games scheduled to end on Sunday 11 August 2024.
Nigeria sent 88 athletes to compete at the Paris Olympics Games, which was held in France, but none was able to win any medals for the country.
After Tobi Amusan failed to qualify for the 100m low hurdles final, Nigeria’s hopes for a medal were extinguished. Also, the men’s 4×400 relay team, which had initially qualified for the final, was later disqualified due to a lane violation.
In wrestling, Blessing Oborududu and Odunayo Adekuoroye also failed to deliver a medal. While Adekuoroye did not reach the semifinal, even as Oborududu lost in the semis and equally lost the bronze medal match.
Ese Brume, who led two of her compatriots to the final of the women’s long jump final placed fifth on Friday, thereby failing to win a medal.
In Table Tennis, the country’s athletes did not fare better. They all crashed out of the Games at the first hurdle. Offiong Edem, Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, and Fatima Bello represented the country.
The Super Falcons lost all their three games in football. But the D’Tigress basketball team defeated Australia and Canada, becoming the first African team to reach the quarterfinals.
Playing the USA in the quarterfinal was a huge mountain to climb, but they were not disgraced losing 74-88 to a team that has won the last seven Olympic basketball gold medals.
Reacting to the performances of Nigerian athletes, a Sports analyst Shina Oludare, said: “Nigeria is currently facing its worst-ever performance at the #Olympics, a situation that calls for immediate action. By now, our Minister of Sports, John Owan Enoh, should have resigned, as his repeated assurances and continuous rhetoric have not translated into any meaningful results.”
Below are some other reactions curated from social media:
“0 Gold
0 silver
0 Bronze.
We need serious introspection.”(@Morris_Monye)
“As sad as this is, it comes with no surprise given the abysmal approach from the government to it.
Or is it now we have a sports minister who is best at writing long epistles?”(@Monwuchekwaa)
“This Is not looking good for Nigeria. The government need to invest more in sport. Let’s learn from Nations like the USA and China”(@timmy_pikasso)
“But why do we always expect miracle medals when there was no proper planning and preparation? It’s only in Nigeria we don’t prepare and yet expect to win medals. When did our athletes begin preparation for the Olympics? Most athletes who won medals started preparing four years ago”(akjay4)
