Nigeria at the Olympics: History, Drama and Medals
Piece 1 — Nigeria made her summer Olympic debut in Helsinki in 1952. Nigeria had a total of 9 athletes in their first outing.
Piece 2— Men’s 100m — 2 athletes (Edward Ajado and Titus Erinle);
Men’s 200m — 3 athletes (Edward Ajado; Muslim Arogundade and Rafiu Oluwa);
Men’s 4x100m — 4 athletes (Muslim Arongudade, Titus Erinle, Karim Olowu, and Rafiu Oluwa);
Long Jump — 2 athletes (Karim Olowu and Sylvanus Williams);
High Jump — 3 athletes (Josiah Majekodunmi, Nafiu Osagie and Boniface Guobadia).
Piece 3— Nigeria participated in the games from 1952–1972 and made a return in 1980 to date.
Piece 4— Nigeria’s first medal at the Summer Olympics was in Tokyo 1964 by Nojim Maiyegun who won the bronze medal in the men’s Light Middleweight (71 kg) category.
Piece 5— Nigeria has won a total of 27 medals in 6 sports.
Athletics 2 Gold 4 Silver 8 Bronze 14 total
Football 1 Gold 1 Silver 1 Bronze 3 total
Boxing 0 Gold 3 Silver 3 Bronze 6 total
Weightlifting 0 Gold 1 Silver 1 Bronze 2 total
Wrestling 0 Gold 1 Silver 0 Bronze 1total
Taekwondo 0 Gold 0 Silver 1 Bronze 1total
Piece 6
Gold: Nigeria has won 3 gold medals in the Olympics (Women’s long jump in Atlanta 1996; Football in Atlanta 1996; Men’s 4×400 metre relay in Sydney 2000).
Silver: Nigeria has won 10 silver medals in the Olympics.
Bronze : Nigeria has won 14 bronze medals in the Olympics.
Piece 7— Nigeria’s best performance was in Atlanta 1996 with a total of 6 medals (2Gold, 1Silver, and 3Bronze). Nigerians remember the competition for Nigeria’s football team (known also as Dream Team) beating Brazil and Argentina on their way to clinch the gold medal.
Piece 8— Nigeria’s football coach at the Olympics (Bonfrere Jo) claims the Minister of Sports in 1996 (Jim Nwobodo — Former Governor of Anambra State) directed that his medal be taken away from him immediately after the presentation at the stadium. Bonfrere Jo says he is yet to see his medal to date.
Piece 9— For a country to participate in the Summer Olympics, each country is governed by a National Olympic Committee (NOC). A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people’s participation in the Olympic Games.
Piece 10 — The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) is the National Olympic Committee for Nigeria, responsible for coordinating and supporting Nigerian competitors in the Olympic Games. It is also the body responsible for Nigeria’s representation at the Commonwealth Games. President — Mr Habu Gumel; Secretary-General- Mr. Olabanji Oladapo.
Piece 11 — Nigerian Olympians have complained about poor conditions and lack of support by all sports stakeholders. At the just-concluded Tokyo 2020 Olympics, 10 athletes were disqualified before they could compete at the games.
Piece 12 — The Athletics Integrity Unit, an independent body founded in 2017 to combat doping in athletics, announced that Nigeria had failed to meet the minimum testing requirements in the months leading up to the Olympics.
Piece 13 — The AIU explained that Nigeria didn’t live up to “Rule 15,” which requires “at least three no-notice out-of-competition tests (urine and blood) conducted no less than 3 weeks apart in the 10 months leading up to a major event.”
Piece 14 — Nigeria wasn’t the only country that failed to meet requirements, but it was by far the most impacted, with 10 of its 23 athletes disqualified. A total of 10 other athletes from Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, and Ukraine were also deemed ineligible.
Piece 15 — Nigeria was represented at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics by 55 athletes and won a total of 2 medals (1 silver and a bronze). Blessing Oborududu — Women’s wrestling freestyle 68kg -(Silver) and Ese Brume — Long Jump (Bronze).
Piece 16— The current Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare presented the Olympians with cash gifts of $10,000 for a silver and $7,500 for bronze.
Piece 17 — Nigeria ranked eighth in Africa and 74th in total on the medals table.
Piece 18 — The top 5 countries in the games are USA, CHINA, JAPAN (HOSTS), GREAT BRITAIN and ROC (Russia Olympic Committee).
Piece 19— There are many questions on everyone’s mind about Nigeria’s participation at the Olympics.
“Can Nigeria ever participate in a sporting event without logistics drama and management nightmares?”
“Can Nigeria be a powerhouse in world sports?”
“Should Nigeria compete in categories that she stands a chance of winning a medal to reduce expenses and increase the chances of a medal?”
“How can sports be better managed in Nigeria for optimal outcomes?”
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.
