Beyond Paris ’24 – Nigeria, at the edge. . . of greatness

I am writing this on Thursday morning to meet production deadline. Truth be told, as we approach the finish line of Paris 2024, Nigeria’s name is nowhere near the top of the final medals table. Of course, Nigeria is not a sports super power.

After the Olympics, Team Nigeria are unlikely to be scored high, in the absence of a last-minute haul of medals to show. I still hope that Wrestling and Tobi Amusan, and any one of the three female jumpers underlining the natural ability of Nigerians in the sport, will bring back home the few medals Nigeria deserves from the games.

As usual and before every Olympics, expectation of Nigerians soars to the heavens, an unrealistic exercise based on unearned achievements. The country has surely not invested enough in what are required to become consistent winners of medals at the Olympic Games. Always, the country seeks to harvest from what it never plants.

A close look at the results of the few events Nigeria participated in reveals Nigeria’s huge potential. To extend that and expect a haul of medals would not do justice to sports and to what is required to become champions.

Having said that, Nigeria’s very impressive performances in some specific sports events; must be acknowledged. They confirm the Olympic Movement’s fundamental philosophy that all participants are ‘winners’, and that ‘you do not have to be First to be a winner’.

To be one of the 11,000 athletes that represent the best in the global human population of over eight billion people is no mean feat. Olympians are special. They are gods and must be celebrated, Gold or not.

To compete and to leave a good impression in the minds of the global audience of sports’ followers is hard enough. That’s why, sometimes, even a good ‘fight’