Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has announced that Nigeria’s top sports authority has initiated a review of the nation’s disappointing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This comes as the country shifts focus to the upcoming Paralympics, which will also be held in Paris, starting on August 28.
Despite sending a strong contingent of 88 athletes competing in 12 sports, Nigeria failed to secure any medals at the 33rd Olympic Games, held from July 26 to August 11 in France. This result matches the country’s worst Olympic performances in Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, Mexico City 1968, Moscow 1980, Seoul 1988, and London 2012.
Reflecting on Team Nigeria’s performance, Enoh expressed his disappointment on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, acknowledging that the outcome fell short of the nation’s objectives and the expectations of Nigerians.
“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have ended, and I accept that our performance should have been much better. It clearly did not meet the goals, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians. I must apologise to our compatriots and reflect on what went wrong while looking ahead to the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 (August 28 – September 8),” Enoh’s statement read.
He noted that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had ensured that funding was not a limiting factor for the athletes. Necessary competition requirements were met, allowances were paid promptly, and training grants were distributed to all athletes. Enoh also mentioned that he was actively involved in addressing any issues during the competition. However, despite these efforts, the team’s performance was disappointing, leaving Nigerians deserving of an explanation.
“As a responsible organisation, we have begun a thorough review process. We will comprehensively assess the competition readiness of every athlete, including their injury and medical history, within the bounds of patient confidentiality. The roles of coaches and administrative staff will also be scrutinised,” Enoh added.
The minister, who has been in office for about a year, highlighted that the ministry had only a few months to prepare for the Olympics and other major competitions, while sports federations were more focused on qualification than on preparation for the Olympics.
“When I took office as Minister of Sports Development in August 2023, I was faced with the challenge of overseeing four international competitions: AFCON, the African Games, and the Olympics and Paralympic Games, all within a few months. I was also reminded that the Olympics is the world’s premier sports event, requiring at least four years of preparation. After extensive discussions with the ministry’s management, I learned that preparations for the Olympics, less than a year away, had not yet begun.
“Following the African Games, meetings were limited to federations with strong chances of Olympic qualification. Medal projections were made, although athletes were still trying to qualify, a process that continued until about June 2024. It was evident that federations prioritised qualification over actual preparation for the Games, a trend that needs to change,” he concluded.
