Sports Minister, John Enoh, Calls Nigeria’s 2024 Olympics Performance ‘Disaster’

Team Nigeria ended their participation in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, without securing any medals for the country.

The last remaining athlete representing Nigeria, Hannah Reuben, aimed to clinch a medal for the West African Country in the women’s freestyle wrestling 76kg category.

Unfortunately, she was defeated in her second-round fight, losing 5-2 (by points) to Mongolia’s Davaanasan Amar Enkh.

The disappointment came from Tobi Amusan’s inability to advance to the final of the women’s 100m hurdles.

Furthermore, Nigeria’s 4x400m men’s relay team faced disqualification following their semi-final race. This unfortunate outcome marked Nigeria’s poorest performance at the Olympics since the 2012 London Games.

Looking ahead, the next Olympics are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in 2028 which means that the sports ministry in Nigeria has at most four years to prepare for another game.

Sports Minister, John Enoh, Calls Nigeria’s 2024 Olympics Performance ‘Disaster’

The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has expressed his disappointment with Team Nigeria’s performance at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

In a statement posted on his X page earlier today, August 10, John Enoh emphasized that the failure to secure any medals reflects underlying issues that require immediate attention.

He highlighted the need for careful consideration in the upcoming sports federation elections to ensure that the most qualified individuals are elected to lead the various sports federations.

John Enoh wrote, “Yesterday, I met with gentlemen of the press at the Nigerian Embassy in Paris for a press briefing following the country’s participation in the 2024 Olympics. As we go back home, we must do everything to prevent future occurrences of the Paris disaster and if this will entail the review of how people are elected to lead our sporting federations, it will be done.

“The elections for the federations are around the corner, and it will be the perfect platform to get only those who are most eligible to lead the various sports federations.

“Team Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the country did not secure any medals does not entail being addressed just by our participation at the Olympics, but it is a product of very many other things that need immediate attention.”

Despite assertions that the ministry adequately supported the athletes both financially and otherwise, Senator Enoh underscored the importance of addressing systemic issues beyond just participation in the Olympics.

“We did everything as a ministry to prepare the athletes adequately and provide them with every financial support, but unfortunately, the performance did not produce any podium finish,” he said.

Looking ahead to the federation elections, he emphasized the need for rigorous scrutiny of the candidates to elevate the standards of leadership within Nigeria’s sports federations.

He wrote: “I am aware that the sports federations elections in Nigeria are even tougher than our national elections. We must set our standards to scrutinize what motivates those vying to run the federations and get only the best hands.

“This call for reform aims to enhance the leadership and effectiveness of Nigeria’s sports federations, paving the way for improved performance on the global stage.”

Top 20 countries of the 2024 Paris Olympics medals table

As of 2:50 p.m. (Nigerian Time), China are sitting at the top of the medals table with a total of 84 medals, which comprises 34 gold, 27 silver, and 23 bronze.

Even though the United States have more medals (113) than China, they are second because they have one gold less than the Asian giants.

Below are the top 20:

Format: Country, Gold, Silver, Bronze, total number of medals

1. China – 34 | 27 | 23 = 84

2. United States – 33 | 41 | 39 = 113

3. Australia – 18 | 16 | 14 = 48

4. Japan – 16 | 8 | 13 = 37

5. France – 15 | 20 | 22 = 57

6. Great Britain – 14 |20 | 23 = 57

7. Korea – 13 8 8 29

8. Netherlands – 13 6 11 30

9. Germany – 12 9 8 29

10. Italy – 11 12 13 36

11. Canada – 8 6 11 25

12. New Zealand – 7 7 2 16

13. Hungary – 5 7 6 18

14. Uzbekistan – 5 1 3 9

15. Spain – 4 3 8 15

16. Ireland – 4 0 3 7

17. Brazil – 3 6 9 18

18. Ukraine – 3 4 4 11

19. Sweden – 3 4 3 10

20. Romania – 3 4 1 8

Note that the 2024 Olympics will officially come to an end on Sunday, August 11.