By Farouq Mohammed
Winning gold is the best feeling an athlete can have. But sometimes just having the opportunity to march behind your country’s flag in the Opening Ceremonies, knowing that you are surrounded by the world’s best athletes is a pretty good feeling too. Adam Lindemer, 2008.
The above quote inspired me to pen this article. It is a response to those who have labelled the outing of Team Nigeria as “disastrous.” At the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris, Team Nigeria indeed dazzled many with a rich cultural display. Our athletes were garbed in our traditional green and white cultural attires, with each artist showcasing the unity in our diversity. This has always been the case whenever Nigerian delegations grace any global event. And Paris 2024 was no different. It was a rich display to the admiration of hundreds of thousands of spectators in Paris and millions of spectators around the globe. I was proud to be a Nigerian. I wonder who wouldn’t be.
The global event has been concluded and the participating countries have departed to their various destinations. Those who won medals hung them around their necks. But that is not all about participating in the event. The Olympic Games are not about winning medals alone. It is about Excellence, Respect and Friendship. These three values constitute the foundation on which the Olympic movement builds its activities to promote sports, culture and education to build a better world. The overarching objective is to build a better world as represented in the five interlacing rings in the Olympic logo.
Those five rings of colours, namely blue, yellow, black, green, and red, represent each continent of the world. The blue ring represents Oceania, the green ring represents Europe; the black represents Africa; the red represents America, and the yellow ring represents Asia. These rings are intertwined with each other, depicting that the Olympic Games are more about harmony, togetherness and goodwill. It brings together some of the finest athletes on the planet irrespective of skin colour, tongue or creed, all in the celebration of global oneness through sports in the biggest way possible. It is not only about winning medals and buntings.
The Nigerian contingent didn’t win any medals on the tracks and on the fields. But their participation indeed opened a new vista for some of the athletes in world ratings in the various sports. This is another benefit of participating in the event. I shudder to understand why some have dwelt monotonously on the medals table and the monies spent by the Nigerian contingent. They have not opened their minds to some of the uncommon positives from the global event. This is my point. I will give examples. Yes, “Team Nigeria” didn’t win medals, but some of our athletes improved their world ratings.
For example, sprinter Favour Ofili finished sixth in the women’s 200m finals but moved up from 31st to eighth place in the 200m world ranking. This is a giant leap and the World Athletics Federation didn’t consider that she didn’t win any medals. In the same vein, 18-year-old Samuel Ogazi also reached the final in the 400m race in Paris, becoming the first Nigerian to reach the men’s 400m final in 36 years after Innocent Egbunike at the 1988 Games in Seoul. He is now third in Africa and 12th in the world, from his previous 23rd world ranking.
Kanyinsola Ajayi, moved from 25th to 23rd in the world ranking after reaching the semi-finals in the men’s 100m race. Ajayi is also 19 years old. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi moved up to 7th in the world in the men’s Shot Put after reaching the Olympic final. In the women’s long jump, Ruth Usoro moved from 26th to 22nd in the world ranking and Prestina Ochonogor moved from 30th to 25th in the world ranking too. These improvements in the ranking are indicative that the Olympics is not just for medals alone, but for exposure for the athletes and also the opportunity to improve their world ranking as seen in the above-mentioned athletes.
At this point, we must agree that there were gains from the participation of Nigerian athletes at the global meet, and the bright side of Nigeria’s blues that Nigerians should be proud of. Those who have condemned the team for returning without medals acted on impulse rather than logic, and why it was common to hear that the outing of team Nigeria was “disastrous”. There was nothing disastrous about the outing. Instead, Nigeria made gains that every Nigerian should be proud of. This would make sense if we take out time to understand that the Olympic games transcend winning medals alone.
In the article “The Olympics Mean More Than Just Winning Medals” authored by Adam Lindemer, he stated that “so many people get caught up in how many medals their country can win. I’ve come to realize something. Winning the gold medal is good, and winning the silver and bronze is great too, but maybe just competing in front of the whole world with great athletes is the best feeling of all. So the next time you find yourself looking at how many medals your country’s athletes have won, just remember one thing: The Olympics mean more than just winning medals.” This is logic, and it is different from impulse. The Olympics have come and gone. And most importantly, Excellence, Respect and Friendship were entrenched among the continents of the world. That Nigeria was a part of the global meet should excite us. Sometimes, it is not about the money spent. There is more that we need to recognize and appreciate. My two cents.
Mohammed, a sports enthusiast, wrote from Kaduna.
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