The 2024 Summer Olympics will commence on Friday, July 26, in Paris, France, with over 10, 714 athletes across the globe competing for laurels in 329 events from 32 sports. As usual, Nigerians are expecting an improved performance from Team Nigeria.
Since Nigeria’s debut at the Olympics in 1952, the country of over 200 million people has managed to win three gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze for a total of 27 medals which ranks the country ninth among African nations with the highest number of medals at the Olympics.
Although ranked ninth, Nigeria is far behind world athletics powerhouse, Kenya, who has amassed a whopping 100 medals to be ranked the number one country in Africa at the Olympic Games.
Despite the huge gap between the two countries, Team Nigeria has also recorded significant feats at the Olympics by registering the country’s name among sporting nations that have won medals at the international multi-sporting event.
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However, most Nigerian sports stakeholders, including the Minister of Sports, Senator John Enoh, and the president of Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Engineer Habu Gumel, are convinced that the performances of Team Nigeria at the Olympics can be improved upon.
Consequently, Gumel recently declared that the elusive gold medal should be the focus of Team Nigeria at the Olympic Games in Paris.
He said Nigerian athletes have managed to win other medals after the heroic feat at Atlanta ’96, but the time has come for them to show to the world that they are good enough to bring home gold medals as well.
“The last time we won two gold medals was in Atlanta, USA, in 1996, by Chioma Ajunwa, in long jump and the U-23 Dream Team, so, we are working so hard to break the jinx in Paris,” Gumel said. He emphasised that winning silver or bronze has never been a challenge to the country’s athletes, but getting gold.
Gumel’s concern is understandable because if in 17 appearances at the games, Team Nigeria, with all its potentials, can only boast of three gold medals, it is something to worry about.
Minister of Sports Enoh also charged the athletes to surpass Team Nigeria’s best previous record of two gold, one silver and three bronze at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.
He said, “Surpassing our best Olympics performance is a goal that we should target to meet. We must build on our past successes and strive for excellence in Paris 2024.”
The minister reiterated his position at the official handover and farewell ceremony of the Team Nigeria contingent to the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games.
He said, “We have no excuse whatsoever. The president has approved the entire budget for the Olympics and Paralympic Games, so it is up to us to try to reciprocate the goodwill of the president and give him reasons to continue to do more.
“Our expectations are high, and given my interactions with our athletes, I have no doubt that these expectations will be met.”
Since 1952 when Nigeria made her debut at the games, the country’s area of strength has been athletics, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting and to some extent football.
Therefore, at the Paris Olympics Nigeria will again rely heavily on athletics as they bank on the reigning world record holder in women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, to lead the charge for medals. Whatever the poster girl of Nigerian athletics will do in Paris will either motivate or dampen the spirits of her compatriots like Favour Ofilli, Favour Ashe, Ese Brume, Rosemary Chukwuma and Chidi Okezie, who are all medal prospects.
Interestingly, one of Nigeria’s medal hopefuls, Ese Brume, who won bronze at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo is brimming with confidence.
Shortly after she retained her title at the Africa Senior Athletics Championship in Douala, Cameroon, the long jumper said, “I’m excited winning the gold medal here, but it was pretty competitive, irrespective of the distance,” ever-smiling Brume told AFN media on Tuesday. “But I am glad I was able to get the gold.”
“I will continue to work with my coach to ensure I put up a better performance at the Olympic Games.”
Apart from 36 athletes in athletics, Team Nigeria will also feature in Women’s Football (18 athletes), Women’s Basketball (12 athletes), Wrestling (6 athletes), Table Tennis (4 athletes), Boxing (3 athletes), Canoeing (2 athletes), Weightlifting (2 athletes), Swimming ( 2 athletes), badminton (1 athlete), taekwondo (1 athlete), and Cycling (1 athlete). This means, Nigeria will be represented by 88 athletes in 12 sports out of the 32 on offer in Paris.
And having enjoyed the necessary government support as stated by the Minister of Sports Enoh, Nigerians are hoping that the country’s athletes would avoid another barren outing at the Paris Olympics.
In 17 appearances, Team Nigeria returned home without winning a single medal in eight editions. There was nothing to celebrate at Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, Mexico 1968, Moscow 1980, Seoul 1988, Sydney 2000 and London 2012 Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will take part in four events in the Paralympics. It is an open secret that special athletes have remained Nigeria’s saving grace at the games as they always deliver even when their able-bodied counterparts fail to deliver.
Nigeria’s para-athletes boast of a whopping 80 medals to date. They have won 40 gold, 19 silver and 21 bronze medals. Hopefully, the special athletes will extend their medal haul at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
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