ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has apologised to Nigerians for Team Nigeria’s dismal performance during the 2024 Paris Olympics when the country did not secure any medals.
Reports that Nigeria has officially concluded its participation in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, without winning a single medal.
Hannah Reuben was Nigeria’s final hope for a medal on Saturday, but she was defeated 5-2 (by points) in the second round of the women’s freestyle wrestling 76kg by Mongolia’s Davaanasan Amar Enkh.
In a statement he signed on Saturday, Enoh said:
“The Olympic Games, Paris 2024, have ended, and I accept that our performance should have been a lot better. It obviously fell short of our objectives, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians.
“I must apologise to our compatriots and reflect on what went wrong while looking forward to the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 (August 28–September 8th).
“When I assumed office as the Minister of Sports Development in August 2023, I was confronted with the task of executing four international competitions, namely the AFCON, the African Games, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in a matter of a few months.
“I was also reminded that the Olympic Games is the world’s supreme sports competition, and countries require at least four years to prepare for it.
“I held extensive discussions with the management staff of the Ministry and got to know that preparations for the Olympics, which was less than a year away, had not started.
“In the true Nigerian spirit, it was our view that we should spare no effort to sustain the international sports image of our country.
“Our target was to re-enact the Atlanta 1996 performance or even improve on it. To this end, we embarked on a progressive approach to drive forward the performance of our athletes and coaches.
“In my first week in office, I requested all National Sports Federations furnish me with plans and programmes. I also embarked on a nationwide inspection of our sports facilities.
“In all these, the President and Commander in Chief of the Federation, HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ensured that funds were not a limiting factor. Athletes’ competition requirements were provided, allowances were paid early, and training grants were disbursed to all athletes.
“I made myself readily available to deal with any issue throughout the competition. Therefore, the underwhelming performance of our team is puzzling. We owe Nigerians an explanation.
“There must be a lot of lessons to learn from our performance and improvements must be made in all ramifications. The last time we returned from the Olympics without a medal was in 2012.
“The next two Olympics after that, we had a bronze medal in 2016 and a silver and bronze in the 2020 Olympics. As a country, we deserve more. Let’s turn the disastrous outcome of the 2024 Olympics into a huge positive for Nigerian sports.”
