Sports minister calls Nigeria’s performance at Paris Olympics ‘a disaster’
This outcome marked one of the country’s most disappointing Olympic performances in recent memory. Despite having a strong roster of athletes, the closest Nigeria came to winning a medal was in athletics, where a few athletes made it to the finals but failed to reach the podium. From major stakeholders in the sports sector to politicians and ordinary citizens, it has been consistent and continued condemnation.
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“These athletes pay nutritionists, coaches and do all other necessary things. There must be a proper plan and not the fire brigade approach we always adopt. “Aside from that, funds must be made available for the athletes and also the right facilities. For seasoned athletics reporter, Cece Omorogbe, the country would need to do more in the area of preparation and welfare. The Commonwealth and African champion, however, failed to make it to the final, finishing third in the semi-final.
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The qualification process for the Paris 2024 surfing event is rigorous and competitive. Surfers can qualify through several pathways, including the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour, the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games, and continental competitions. She also became the only player to ever win a medal for Nigeria in Badminton at either the Olympics or Paralympics. The tides turned in Nigeria’s favour on Day 5 of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris as Eniola Bolaji won a Bronze medal in the women’s Para Badminton Singles SL3 event by defeating Ukraine’s Oksana Kozyna in straight sets, 2-0 (21-9, 21-9). Every country comes to the Olympics with the aim of winning gold,” Ajunwa said. “The difference here is the support the two athletes received from their countries.
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They have immediate and direct responsibility of running the affairs in such a sport. “The ministry is going to concentrate on those sports that Nigeria has continued to do well in. We’ll look at those sports that have given us previous medals that we have recorded.
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Omorodion, who still has the option to represent Nigeria in the future, made a significant impact for Spain during the tournament. His victory in Paris adds to his growing reputation as a talented footballer, and his success at the Olympics has made him a player to watch in the coming years. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, several athletes of Nigerian descent made headlines by winning medals while representing other nations. These athletes, with deep connections to Nigeria, chose to compete under the flags of countries like Germany, Bahrain, the United States, France, Great Britain, and Spain. Their remarkable performances not only brought them personal glory but also highlighted the diverse and global nature of talent emerging from Nigeria. The nation’s athletes have secured impressive results, including one gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.
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Founded on January 22, 1995, THISDAY is published by THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LTD., 35 Creek Road Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria with offices in 36 states of Nigeria , the Federal Capital Territory and around the world. The newspaper is a public trust dedicated to the pursuit of truth and reason covering a range of issues from breaking news to politics, business, the markets, the arts, sports and community to the crossroads of people and society. Ivorian track legend Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith was one of the biggest winners at the lucrative ATHLOS women-only track meet in New York. An unhealthy option by Michael Johnson given to some athletes that competed at the inaugural ATHLOS meet in New York didn’t sit well with ATHLOS founder Alexis Ohanian. Following the captivating viral moment between Rihanna and Rhasidat Adeleke, the Irish track star relived the moment meeting one of the most famous people in the world who’s a huge fan of her talent.
- As Nigeria reflects on this Olympic campaign, it must address the systemic issues hindering its athletes’ success and explore strategies to nurture talent domestically.
- Despite significant investments in the team, the 88 athletes across 12 disciplines fell short of the podium, marking the eighth Olympic Games without a medal for Nigeria.
- The NSC existed before the Sports Ministry and was subsumed under the Presidency before it was scrapped in 2015.
- Judges score each wave on a scale of 1 to 10, with the top two scores from each surfer being combined to give their total heat score.
- It is on record that Nigerian Athletes dominated the podium performance table, especially in athletics.
- Swimming remained a cornerstone of Australia’s Olympic prowess, with the team delivering an outstanding performance in the pool.
- We must accept this reality in good faith and begin to plan for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
- South African athletes have showcased their versatility, competing strongly in various disciplines, reflecting the depth of talent across the nation.
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Despite being the national indoor and outdoor record holder in the women’s high jump, Temitope Adeshina finished 19th in the rankings. After suffering a 3-1 loss to Japan, the Super Falcons are out of the Olympics. Nigeria suffered defeats in their initial two matches against Brazil and Spain. However, they entered Wednesday’s game intending to secure a victory to revive their limited possibility of reaching the quarter-finals in the women’s football competition at the Olympics.
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Ese Brume is also, the second woman to defend a long jump title after Modupe Oshikoya. Chidi Okezie was also, an admired figure to win 400 Meters Gold after 37 years when Innocent Egbunike ran 44.23 seconds in 1987. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi proved his sincerity of purpose as the first Nigerian to retain a shot put Gold medal at the Games. Ruth Usoro refused to be denied a Gold medal as she jumped 13.80 meters in her first appearance at the festival. The data comes from OLBG, which has also earmarked China for success to the tune of 77 medals, including 32 golds and Great Britain with 62 medals including 26 gold medals.
Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics
In a moment that will significantly impact Indian sports culture, Vinesh Phogat’s remarkable path to the women’s 57kg freestyle wrestling final was abruptly halted when she was disqualified before the final match for exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams. After Iman Khelif, a female Algerian boxer, was declared the winner over Angela Carini from Italy. Carini told reporters she had never experienced such hard punches in her career.
Paris 2024 Olympics: Nigeria’s dismal performance worries enthusiasts
Canada’s Summer McIntosh has made waves with 3 gold, 1 silver, and 0 bronze medals, demonstrating the nation’s strength in aquatic events. The 2024 Paris Olympics showcased extraordinary athletic performances from around the world, with the United States, China, Japan, Australia, and France emerging as the top five countries in the medal standings. These nations demonstrated excellence across a wide range of sports, reflecting their robust sports development systems, strategic investments, and the dedication of their athletes and coaches. During the Games the British team won its first ever Olympic medals in sport climbing, with Toby Roberts’ gold in the men’s combined, and in artistic swimming, with Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe taking silver in the women’s duet.
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With the Olympics still ongoing, the medal table is bound to change, and African nations are poised to continue their impressive performances. Faith Kipyegon is a Kenyan track and field athlete who specialises in the middle and long distances and is the current world record holder in the 1500 metres. Yemisi Ogunleye, born in Germany to a Nigerian father from Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti State, made history by winning gold in the shot put for Germany.
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And while some athletes will set world records in Paris, those can be set at other international competitions. Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred delivered a brilliant performance to win the women’s 100 metre gold medal with a national record timing of 10.72 seconds, beating USA’s world champion Sha’Carri Richardson into silver. The Honorable Minister being a witness to the two major events in sports, must be reevaluating and sharpening his plans, along with his formidable managers to x-ray the important areas that need priority in sporting events. With the sensitivity of the Department and daily supervision of the athletes’ anti-doping records, it will be necessary and needful to equip the Department with more computer gadgets to upload and save data for reference purposes. The Paris 2024 Olympics has come and gone and the Nigerian contingent returned without nicking any medal.
Duplantis also caused a global sensation on social media by running to see his wife after setting the world record. Leading the pack, as of Monday, August 5, is France’s Leon Marchand, who has captured an impressive 4 gold, 0 silver, and 1 bronze medals, totalling 5 overall. Kenya’s stars were Faith Kipyegon, with gold in the 1,500 metre event and silver in 5,000 metres, and Beatrice Chebet with gold over both 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre distances. This is a signal to the technocrats in Kenya and Athletics Kenya that there should be a shift in investment and team selection priorities that foregrounds the inclusion and promotion of more women athletes, coaches and decision-makers. Great Britain were assured of a quota in the men’s event when the reigning Olympic champion Tom Pidcock won the gold medal at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow. A full quota of two men and two women was obtained through the final UCI mountain biking Olympic rankings.
- They are essential meal tickets for most officials who barely know anything about their sports, except maybe the next trips and what allowances they will bring.
- The ceremony started with Leon Marchand, who won four gold medals in swimming for France, taking the Olympic flame from the Tuileries Gardens and starting its journey to the stadium.
- Maybe a look at the management structure of the Ministry will show how unsuitable it is for sports development and management.
- During the group stage men’s basketball game between South Sudan and Puerto Rico the wrong national anthem was played for South Sudan, a gaffe that the South Sudanese did not find funny at all.
- Nigeria, the so-called Giant of Africa, was nowhere in sight in the jostle to the podium.
- Born to a Nigerian father, Adebayo has become one of the most prominent players in the NBA, known for his defensive prowess and versatility on the court.
- All of the world’s athletes desire to participate and qualify for proper representation of their countries and as well to merit a place in the sports Hall of Fame as due credit to their career progression.
Ogunleye proudly identifies with her German heritage while embracing her Nigerian roots. Unfortunately, no Nigerian has claimed gold this year, a stark contrast to the country’s previous Olympic successes. Alfred edged Richardson in 10.84s to 10.89s, qualifying with the fastest time overall and setting up a highly anticipated duel in the final.
This result is a far cry from Nigeria’s best Olympic performance, which occurred at the Atlanta 1996 Games. During that historic event, the nation won six medals, including gold in men’s football and women’s long jump. In contrast, the 2024 outing could be considered among Nigeria’s worst, comparable to the 2012 London Olympics, where the country also failed to win any medals. This underscores the ongoing challenges Nigeria faces in sports development and international competition. But the big shame was seeing Nigerians carrying the flag of other countries. Yemisi Ogunleye who won gold for Germany in shot put is from Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti State.
- He first rose to fame by winning the 200 meters at the 2002 World Junior Championships.
- “This call for reform aims to enhance the leadership and effectiveness of Nigeria’s sports federations, paving the way for improved performance on the global stage.
- “In the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, we won two medals – bronze in long jump (Ese Brume) and silver in wrestling (Blessing Oborodudu) and both athletes were in the Paris Olympics.
- Spain have continued their extraordinary run of success on the international stage by beating hosts France 5-3 to claim gold at the Olympics.
- Nigeria achieved her best performance in 1995 when the team, led by Mary Onyali, won a record 15 gold medals.
- Elsewhere, most elected their federations, including their National Olympic Committees before Paris 2024.
- She was set to represent Nigeria at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but was ruled ineligible.
- Femi “Bam” Adebayo, often referred to simply as Bam Adebayo, played a crucial role in the USA men’s basketball team’s victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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Echikunwoke’s determination and talent paid off in her adopted country after negligence by Nigerian sports officials denied her a chance to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Rounding out the list is China’s Pan Zhanle, who has earned 2 gold, 1 silver, and 0 bronze medals, highlighting China’s competitive edge in the pool. While they are top dogs in these two disciplines in Africa, they are overwhelmed at a global level, especially at the Olympics.
- In addition to the medals, which are unique to each Olympic Games, some winners will get additional awards from their home nations.
- The contest for most gold medals at the Paris Olympics ended in a tie between China and the United States.
- Kaylia Nemour, 17, made history for her country, Algeria and for Africa by being the first from the continent to win a medal in gymnastics.
- What he owes Nigerians is to carry out an audit of the country’s participation in the tournament to understand the areas that need improvement.
- “These athletes pay nutritionists, coaches and do all other necessary things.
- Her collection includes nine gold, five silver, and four bronze medals, which she earned across three Games from 1956 to 1964.
- She competed for America and won silver in the hammer throw at the Paris Olympic Games.
- Australian swimmers dominated in both individual and relay events, securing multiple gold medals and setting several Olympic records.
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His contributions on the field were instrumental in helping France reach the final, and his performance throughout the tournament demonstrated his talent and potential. Salwa Eid Naser, originally born as Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu in Nigeria, represented Bahrain in the women’s 400 meters. Naser, who switched her allegiance to Bahrain in 2014, has been a dominant force in track and field for several years. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she claimed the silver medal in the 400 meters, adding to her impressive collection of international medals. Her success in Paris once again highlighted her status as one of the top sprinters in the world. Simone Biles, who won three gold medals and one silver, had the honor of waving the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony on Sunday, August 11th.
On 19 June, Team GB confirmed the final three triathletes, Sam Dickinson, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Kate Waugh.[126] This confirmed Dickinson also in the relay as the only other male athlete. In the women’s section, both defending Olympic https://big-bet.org/ champion Kate French and Jessica Varley were also in qualification positions, as was Charlie Brown in the men’ section. Great Britain could elect any of the eligible athletes so long as they remain within the two per NOC limit.
During the group stage men’s basketball game between South Sudan and Puerto Rico the wrong national anthem was played for South Sudan, a gaffe that the South Sudanese did not find funny at all. At the athletics Olympics village, there were complaints about substandard food, hot accommodation and cardboard beds. Team Great Britain ended up hiring a chef, many of the American superstars relocated to hotels. River Seine gave the organizers grave concerns, as the heavy rain showers on opening day further polluted the water, raising the level of E-coli, making it difficult for the river to be used for the men’s and women’s triathlon. The planned games on River Seine were rescheduled, all the same, three German athletes reported that they had been infected, athletes from Belgium and Switzerland also fell ill.
As the 2024 Olympic Games continue, a group of exceptional athletes has emerged as the top medal winners so far, showcasing extraordinary performances across various disciplines. The Paris Olympics witnessed the participation of 10,714 athletes drawn from 216 countries, with a total of 1,436 medals won. While the 2028 LA Olympics will include new or returning sports like squash, cricket and flag football, hopes for Kenya outside track and field still rest in individual sports like boxing. Out of 203 countries and one Refugee Olympic Team competing, only 91 (44.8%) earned a medal. In total Africa won 39 medals, up from 37 in Tokyo but fewer than the 45 won in Rio and short of the target of 50 set by the African Union.