Sports
Rio 2016: Reasons Why Team Nigeria Failed
Reactions have continued to trail the performance of Team Nigeria at the just concluded 2016 Olympic Games, held in Rio, Brazil.
Nigeria, which returned from the preceding Games, London 2012 could only manage a single bronze medal courtesy of “Dream Team VI,” in the male football event.
Apparently, this can be described as a disappointing outing for the country in the quadrennial world sports fiesta.
In his reaction, ace sports analyst and blogger, China Acheru said “considering the level of preparation by the Nigerian athletes, it was a good outing in Rio.”
According to him, to compete in Olympic Games and win a medal is not what one should do in one or two years, adding that preparation for an Olympic medal is a project of six years or more.
“In my opinion, I think Team Nigeria performance in Rio was good, considering their level of preparation.
“Besides, no reasonable person expected Nigeria to win any kind of medal at the Games,” Acheru said.
Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Bayelsa State, Loveday Herbert on his part said Team Nigeria performed below expectation, adding that they did not even prepare for the games at all.
The SWAN boss, blamed the Federal Government over its inability to release fund to commence early preparation by Team Nigeria.
According to him, governments at almost all levels do not have a good policy that can improve sports development in the country. He noted that inadequate preparation can only bring disappointment for the nation.
“Nigeria never prepared for Rio 2016 Olympic Games, everybody knows that if you must do well in any competition, you must prepare early in all ramifications,” Herbert said.
He suggested that the ministry should produce a blue-print containing sports development policieis and programmes.
In his reaction, another sports writer and analyst with Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), datonye Fred Alambo said Team Nigeria performed badly.
He explained that Nigeria will continue to fail if they failed to plan, adding that he was not surprised at the abysmal failure of the country’s team at the Olympics.
“It is a shame that we cannot produce one gold medal in Rio 2016, this is real under performance.
“We will continue to fail if we fail to plan. Honestly, it is too bad that up till now, the sports ministry has no grassroots sports programmes, no master plan to develop sports.
In fact the major problem is that there are a lot of non-challant attitudes by our sports administrators,” Fred said.
Tonye Orabere
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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