If there is one thing Nigerian athletes at any level are known for, it is their ability to export the uniqueness of Nigerian music and dance, as well as radiate positive energy behind the scenes at every competition they attend.
Thus, it was not surprising to see the country’s student-athletes on July 28 singing and dancing to Davido’s hit song ‘Unavailable’, during the opening ceremony of the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, which ended August 8.
It was a spectacle that attracted cheers from the audience and the Nigeria University Games Association did their bit to gain traction with the video on social media.
But that was as good as it got for the 27 athletes that represented Nigeria at the Games.So s Happene (216) Punch
The song ‘Unavailable’ was perhaps prophetic, possibly alluding to the unavailability of some of the basic things they would need during the Games, but how were they to know?
The students wanted more in terms of financial compensation for their efforts, but their hopes were dashed even before they started competing.
While that seemed to be the major bone of contention as they returned home, they also lamented other factors like poor coaching, inadequate preparations, lack of kits and equipment, and unfair treatment before and after the Games.
“I bought a pair of canvas in Nigeria for N40,000. Every piece of equipment I used was my personal equipment,” she added.
“For taekwondo, we went with our own personal kits but were expected to fight with the approved uniforms. They reluctantly agreed to buy us one uniform when complaints were too much. We borrowed more than half of our equipment, which we returned after our events,” a taekwondo athlete told Tidesports source..
One of them also said they requested for the equipment but they weren’t provided.
“NUGA refused to get us equipment even when we requested for them weeks before. For table tennis, our rackets failed the racket tests and we were compelled to buy new rubbers. Our school paid about 70 per cent of the cost of the rackets,” he said.
When Sunday PUNCH asked Ezeani if she was aware that some of the athletes bought their own kits for the Games, she stated, “I’m aware they bought some of these things, but they were informed before traveling that they needed to have these things as the (NUGA) secretariat wrote their universities to provide them.
“For table tennis, the Directors of Sports, University of Benin and University of Lagos, bought their rackets. NUGA paid for one badminton racket and other equipment for Taekwondo.
“Which athlete will travel to play without his gear? Or is this peculiar to Nigeria?
“Like I earlier informed you, they were told these things, including the unavailability of allowances due to the lack of funds. We currently still owe travel agents and individuals we borrowed money from to make up payments for the tickets.
“I noticed the badminton players had the same playing shirts, this is because we could not afford to make these items for them.”
However, another athlete, who competed in the tennis event, affirmed that her school provided everything she needed for her trip.
“My school was responsible for my equipment down to what I wore,” she noted.
Even as they soldiered on, they also faced the test of technical input from the sidelines during their events.
The available officials were drafted into the seven events the country featured in, but the athletes claimed the strategy was ineffective.
In some cases, like taekwondo, it was as good as not having a coach, leaving the athletes at the mercy of improvising with coaches from other countries, most of who couldn’t speak English.
In the letter addressed to one of the schools, which was obtained by our correspondent, NUGA stated, “While planning for the event, we have taken into account various factors, including the cost of airfare and the frequency of flights. After thorough evaluation, we have determined that the cost of a return ticket to Chengdu, China, for each athlete will amount to N1.5m. This estimation covers the airfare expenses and ensures the timely arrival and departure of our athletes.
“Considering this information, we kindly request your sponsorship in covering the airfare expenses for your athletes. Rest assured, NUGA will take care of all other expenses related to the athletes’ participation, including participation fees, accommodation, and other relevant expenses,” the letter read.
In a separate chat with our correspondent, Ezeani further explained that the association was in debt, insisting that it was uncertain if they would be able to meet up with the allowances later.
“Our 41-person delegation incurred a total cost of €20,090 (N17,193,002) for participation fees and €820 (N701,756) , exchange rate as at July 28 when the Games began for registration fee, enabling our athletes to compete. We have taken loans to complete these payments and also supplement fees for the flight as universities paid N1.5m per person, while the tickets were in excess of N2m,” Ezeani told Tidesports source.
“Honestly, we do not know if these allowances will be paid for an association that is owing in excess of N30m. There are very few countries that pay allowances to their athletes, something they (Nigerian athletes) explored and found to be true, including the biggest like USA, Brazil, Australia and even South Africa. These athletes are given rewards for performances and medals, not allowances.”
Past athletes
Except for the 2019 edition of the World University Games in Napoli, Italy which the country missed out on, Nigeria’s most recent appearance at the Games was 2015 in Gwangju, South Korea and 2017 in Taipei, China.
The aggrieved athletes also told our correspondents that their various schools paid them allowances ranging from N40,000 to N70,000 during the NUGA Games in 2022, while they were also paid between N12,000 to N30,000 during the NUGA trials for the FISU Games earlier this year, hence, they couldn’t comprehend why they weren’t paid for the Games proper.
Fostering ties for better funding
While it remains unclear if the athletes will get the contested allowances or not, NUGA says it will find ways to enhance the performance of its athletes in subsequent international competitions, and also find a lasting solution to avoid issues emanating from allowances.
“We have to do better in terms of preparations and we need funding to be able to prepare our athletes. If we don’t start on time, we will not meet up to expectations and our athletes will continue to fall short,” Ezeani added.
“We are currently trying to formulate a way with the Senate and the relevant ministries, including education and sports, as well as the NUC to see how we can foster the best relationships to get the kind of funding we require for university sports.
“The vice chancellors agreed that all entry level students will pay the sum of N1000 for international sports events at the point of admission, so we are hoping to, in partnership with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, to be able to access these funds,” she added.

By: Abiodun Adewale