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I am writing this on Friday morning to meet production deadline.
Truth be told, as we approach the finish line of Paris 2024, Nigeria’s name is nowhere near the top of the final medals table. Of course, Nigeria is not a sports superpower.
After the Olympics, Team Nigeria are unlikely to be scored high, in the absence of a last-minute haul of medals to show.
I still hope that Wrestling and Tobi Amusan(unfortunately, Amusan failed to qualify for final) and any one of the three female jumpers(all three failed as well) underlining the natural ability of Nigerians in the sport, will bring back home the few medals Nigeria deserves from the games.
As usual and before every Olympics, expectation of Nigerians soars to the heavens, an unrealistic exercise based on unearned achievements. The country has surely not invested enough in what are required to become consistent winners of medals at the Olympic Games. Always, the country seeks to harvest from what it never plants.
A close look at the results of the few events Nigeria participated in reveals Nigeria’s huge potentials. To extend that and expect a haul of medals would not do justice to sports and to what is required in order to become champions.
Having said that, Nigeria’s very impressive performances in some specific sports events, must be acknowledged. They confirm the Olympic Movement’s fundamental philosophy that all participants are ‘winners’, and that ‘you do not have to be First to be a winner’.
To be one of the 11,000 athletes that represent the best in the global human population of over 8 Billion people is no mean feat. Olympians are special. They are gods and must be celebrated, Gold or not.
To compete and to leave a good impression in the minds of the global audience of sports’ followers is hard enough. That’s why, sometimes, even a good ‘fight’ is considered as good as Gold, a reward for total commitment and effort!
Such is the case of Team Nigeria 2024, in my humble opinion, far from the unproductive outcry that will come in the aftermath of Paris 2024, unless, of course, if Tobi Amusan pulls out the rabbit from the hat and wins a Gold medal, and soothes the pain of Nigerians up till now. Alas that remains a dream.
As the sprints relays and wrestling events start, there is some hope that a few medals may still come Nigeria’s way to improve the country’s standing on the final table which does not look impressive presently despite some performances that must be considered as good as Gold. Top of that list is the performance of D’Tigress, the female national basketball team. The team has put up a great display in all their matches, showing the clear possibility of basketball also becoming one of Nigeria’s greatest strengths at the Olympics, next to the sprints and long jump events in athletics.
That three girls are representing Nigeria in the finals of the long jump clearly underlines Nigeria’s strength in the event, validating Chioma Ajunwa’s 1996 Gold medal victory. This is an event that Nigeria
What applies to the long jump event also applies to the short sprints, the relays and the 100m hurdles. These events appear to come naturally to Nigerians.
Nigeria’s wrestlers have also been consistent. Blessing Oborodudu, who missed out on the medal podium by whiskers, must be commended for effort. One or two other wrestlers have just started their competitions at the time I am writing this. They may go far and even win medals.
What must be acknowledged at the end of Paris 2024 is that Nigeria’s performances clearly show that if and when the processes of discovering talented athletes and providing them with the necessary development tools and processes are honed properly, Nigeria will surely become a global force in certain sports.
That is the greatest lesson that I take away. Nigeria must invest more in institutionalised sports development, and strategically pay special attention to some specific sports for which the environment may be a natural breeding ground.
Team Nigeria have done as well as the investment on them. To achieve more would be unrealistic expectation. You do not plant coco-yam and expect a harvest of yam.
Qualifying for the Olympics is difficult. It is a long, hard and torturous journey. To win a medal is the most difficult journey for any athlete. That’s why, the Olympic Games were conceived in the spirit that at the Games there are no ‘losers’, every athlete that participates is a ‘winner’ and goes home with a replica Medal.
In Paris 2024, Nigeria participated in only a few sports. The athletes put up creditable performances but are mostly not enough to win medals this time around. Winning a medal at the Olympics is a Marathon race, not a sprints event.
I hope Nigeria will aim to invest in the development of a proper production line for elite athletes and sports development. It is only then that Nigerians can realistically start to expect a haul of medals at the Olympics.
For now, I commend Team Nigeria. They did well. They remind us that Nigeria is at the periphery….. of greatness, just ahead, in sports.
Nigeria winger, Samuel Chukwueze has revealed the reason behind his decision to snub a move to Saudi Arabia last summer.
Chukwueze was approached by a number of clubs in the Asian country after the end of the 2022/23 season.
The 25-year-old however decided against accepting the tempting offer despite plea fron his manager.
Instead, the talented winger joined Serie A giants, AC Milan ending his five-year stay with LaLiga club, Villarreal.
“If money were a problem, I would have signed in Saudi Arabia. They wanted me a year ago,” the 25-year-old was quoted by Football Italia.
” My mind was set only on Milan. My agent told me, ‘Hey, look, there’s this money…’ But I said no: ‘I don’t want to go anywhere else.’
“So he gave up. If that money comes, it comes. The most important thing now is to believe in myself; I’m still young, I want to make it, I need to stay in Europe.”
Chukwueze scored once in 24 league appearances for AC Milan last season.
The Nigerian men’s 4x400m relay team has been disqualified from competing in the final of the event at the 2024 Olympics.
After the Nigerian women’s 4x400m relay team crashed out of the event on Thursday, most sports enthusiasts in Nigeria were expecting the men’s team to earn Nigeria its first 2024 Paris Olympics medal.
Recall that the men’s relay team, which comprised Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathanial, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie, initially secured a spot in the final after finishing second in their heat behind France, achieving a season’s best time of 2:59.81.
However, their hopes were dashed when they were disqualified for stepping on the line during their heat. Reports claimed that South African athletes were the ones that made the official complaint, which was looked into and sanctioned against Nigeria by the Olympic committee.
As a result of their disqualification, Belgium has moved up to second position, and South Africa has stepped up to third position.
This outcome is a disappointment for the Nigerian team, who had aspired to replicate the success of the 2000 and 2004 teams that won gold and bronze in Sydney and Athens respectively.
The development happened before Nigeria’s best prospect for a 2024 Olympics medal, Tobi Amusan failed to qualify for the final of the 100m hurdles earlier today. Hence, Team Nigeria are still without a medal with less than two days to the end of the tournament.
The athlete who has sustained Nigeria’s aspirations for a medal in the current Paris Olympic Games, Tobi Amusan, has crashed out of the tournament.
Amusan finished third in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m hurdles.
The 27-year-old competed in lane six during the first heat of the event on Friday.
The reigning world champion and world record holder finished behind Alayasha Johnson from the United States, who clocked a time of 12.39 seconds, and Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas, who recorded 12.50 seconds.
Amusan’s time of 12.55 seconds was insufficient to qualify her for the finals.
This achievement comes amid Nigeria’s disappointing performance in the games, where Nigerian athletes have yet to secure a medal as the Olympics approach their conclusion on Sunday.
On Tuesday, former Super Eagles Coach Adegboye Onigbinde criticized Nigeria’s performance, attributing it to inadequate sports administration in the country.
The veteran technical sports director said: “You see, why Nigerian athletes are not performing well in the ongoing Olympics and other international sports competitions is not technical, but administrative. Is it technical that an athlete who qualified properly in her event will be ridiculed by not registering her for participation?
“Situations like this will continue if our administrators don’t separate politics from sports.”
He stressed that most of the administrators have forgotten the core objective of developmental programmes in sports which had earned the country some measure of success in the past.
Former president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, has passed away at the age of 77.
The football administrator, who was a key figure in African football for decades, died in Paris on Thursday, August 8, 2024, a day before his 78th birthday.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino described the late Hayatou as a ‘passionate sports fan” in a post on Instagram on Thursday evening.
He wrote: “Saddened to hear of the passing of former Caf president, former Fifa president ad interim, Fifa vice president, and Fifa council member, Issa Hayatou.”
“A passionate sports fan, he dedicated his life to sports administration.
“On behalf of Fifa, condolences go to his family, friends, former colleagues and all who knew him. Rest in peace.”
Hayatou was in charge of African football from 1988 to 2017 and served as interim FIFA President from 2015 to 2016 when Joseph Sepp Blatter was suspended amidst a corruption scandal.
It was also under his tenure that South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010, becoming the first-ever African nation to host the tournament.
Sevilla forward, Kelechi Iheanacho has sent a heartfelt farewell message to Leicester City fans following his departure from the club after seven years.
The Nigeria international departed the King Power Stadium in June after his contract ended.
Last week, Iheanacho joined LaLiga side Sevilla, signing a two-year deal with an additional one-year option.
The 27-year-old took to social media to express his gratitude to the fans and club owners for the unforgettable memories during his time at Leicester City.
“Thank you for the 7 years we shared, I’ll forever cherish our 2021 FA Cup win. Thanks to the owners who brought me to the club, all of my teammates in those years and the amazing foxes fans!! All the best for the new season ,” he wrote on X.
Iheanacho joined Leicester City from Manchester City in 2017.
He scored 36 goals in 173 league appearances for the Foxes.
- Nigeria lose 74-88 to USA
The D’Tigress bowed out of the Paris 2024 Women’s Basketball event but not without a fight as they lost a closely fought encounter 74-88 to Team USA.
The coach Rena Wakama-led side only on Sunday became the first African side – male or female – to reach the quarter-finals of an Olympic Games after beating Canada in their final group game.
Last night, the Americans raced in front in the first quarter with 26 to 19 points and followed up with an identical 26 points as against the D’Tigress 16 in a pulsating gritty encounter in the second quarter.
Ezinne Kanu and Murijanatu Musa proved pivotal to Nigeria’s aspirations yet the D’Tigress were back on the back foot in the third quarter losing 15-24.
Remarkably, the D’Tigress showed their strength in depth in the last quarter with an amazing 26 points as against America’s 12.
But it was a case of too little, too late as the Americans won the encounter 88-74.
Defeat notwithstanding, the D’Tigress can be proud of their achievement at this Paris 2024 Olympics as they earned huge salutation for their gusty performance against the Americans who progressed to the semi-finals.
Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confidently stated that Victor Osimhen will not take a pay cut to facilitate his move to Chelsea, The PUNCH reports.
The Italian hinted that Chelsea’s pursuit of the Napoli striker could allegedly ‘go down to the final week of the transfer window’.
The Blues are in dire need of a striker capable of guaranteeing them goals, and with less than two weeks until the start of the new Premier League season, they have intensified their search.
Chelsea are reportedly closing in on a deal for Atletico Madrid attacker Samu Omorodion, but the London club are also heavily being linked with Osimhen, with the Super Eagles forward said to be ranking prominently on their wish list to lead their line during the 2024/25 campaign.The Nigeria international has emerged as one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, having been linked with moves to Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Liverpool, among others.
However, his hefty €130m release clause has scared off many suitors, with PSG the only European club still keen on signing him.
There has been talk of a potential swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku, as Chelsea are unlikely to be in a position to activate the £113m release clause in his Napoli contract.
Osimhen is Serie A’s highest earner at around £325,000 a week. He signed a new contract with Napoli in the latter stages of last year, but he is expected to leave the club before the transfer window closes.According to Romano, Osimhen is not willing to accept a pay cut to move to Stamford Bridge, and a potential transfer for the Nigerian could ‘go down to the final week of the window’.
“Forget about Victor Osimhen taking a pay cut; he won’t reduce his salary. This will be a deal I think will go down to the final week of the window,” Football Transfers quotes Romano on their website.
Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille in the 2020 summer for a club record fee of €70m plus another €10m in bonuses.
The 25-year-old has been in top form for the Parthenopeans for the past two seasons, guiding them to their first Scudetto in over three decades in the 2022/23 season, scoring 26 league goals, which earned him the top scorer award.
Team Nigeria faced a setback in their pursuit of a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Tuesday as two medal prospects failed to live up to the expectation.
Favour Ofili’s performance in the women’s 200m final and Blessing Oborududu’s loss in the bronze medal match of the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling left Team Nigeria without a medal four days to the end of the tournament.
In the women’s 200m final, Ofili finished sixth with a time of 22.24s, as USA’s Gabby Thomas clinched the gold with a time of 21.83s. Julie Alfred secured second place with a time of 22.08s, while Brittany Brown claimed the third spot with a time of 22.20s.
Despite running a new season’s best of 22.05s in the event and making it to the final, Ofili was unable to secure a medal.
On the other hand, Blessing Oborududu lost 3-0 in the bronze medal match of the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling to Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki. This came after her narrow 3-1 defeat to Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova in the semi-finals the previous night.
With the disappointment in these events, Team Nigeria’s hopes now hinge on women’s 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, who qualified for the semi-finals of the event earlier today, August 7, 2024.
The team is also looking to other athletes competing in athletics, weightlifting, and wrestling to secure medals for the country as the 2024 Olympics ends on August 11.
Tobi Amusan has made Nigerians proud again as she qualified for the 100-meter hurdles semi-finals in the ongoing 2024 Olympics in Paris on Wednesday.
Naija News understands that the track and field athlete specialises in the 100-metre hurdles
Amusan, the reigning world record holder, outpaced the USA’s Alaysha Johnson, who finished second with a time of 12.61 seconds, and Janeek Brown, who clocked in at 12.84 seconds in Heat 1.
This performance positions Amusan as the second-fastest qualifier overall, trailing only the defending Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico.
It is noteworthy that Nigeria has not yet secured a medal in this year’s Olympic Games.
Naija News reports that the semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Friday, August 9, with the final event planned for the second-to-last day of the athletics competition, Saturday, August 10.
The 27-year-old athlete has demonstrated exceptional performance leading up to the sporting event, achieving a season-best and world-leading time of 12.40 seconds (0.9) at the Jamaican Athletics Invitational held in Kingston in May.
Prior to this, she established the indoor record for the African 60m hurdles on two occasions in January and February.
In March, she secured her third consecutive title at the African Games in Ghana, while also contributing to the women’s 4x100m relay team that won gold in Accra, in addition to her victory at the African Championships in Cameroon three months later.
Throughout this season, Amusan has participated in 17 competitions, which encompass the 60m, 100m, 100m hurdles, and the 4x100m relay.
Amusan, a three-time consecutive Diamond League champion, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, two-time African champion, and three-time African Games gold medalist, has represented her country in two Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020)
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Rena Wakama, head coach of Nigeria’s Senior National Women’s Basketball Team, D’Tigress, has expressed confidence in their quarterfinal match against the United States in the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Speaking virtually from Paris, France, Wakama shared the team’s excitement about facing the nine-time gold medallists in today’s clash.
“We are really excited because we want to play the best of the best. We believe that everything happened for a reason. We met them already in Belgium but did not play our best, so we look forward to meeting them again on Wednesday (today),” Wakama said.
Reflecting on their previous encounter, she noted, “I think the first game we played with them was an eye-opener. We were able to watch the game and break down what we did wrong, what we did well and I think now that our girls have the experience of playing against them, it would help a lot.”
Wakama also highlighted the team’s preparation, stating, “We’ve also played about five games now; we have three friendlies and three matches here, so we are going into the game confidently. We are playing well, and we have a great addition to the team (Ezinne) who brings another level of intensity and experience to us.”
She emphasized that the USA would be facing a different team this time. “So I think the USA has not played against this team before because the team they played against in Belgium differs from this team. So we are looking forward to doing what we do and do it well,” she added.
D’Tigress have already made history in Paris, becoming the first African team, men’s or women’s, to reach the quarterfinals in Olympic basketball. Ending the United States’ 58-match winning streak and seven consecutive gold medals would rank among the greatest upsets in sports history.
The U.S. and Nigeria have met only once at the Olympics in women’s basketball, a group-stage game in Tokyo four years ago, where Team USA won 81-72, despite taking a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter. The two sides have also met twice previously at the FIBA World Cup, with the U.S. winning a group-stage game in 2006 and a quarterfinal in 2018.
Nigeria’s sensation Favour Ofili has taken a significant step toward her Olympic dream by qualifying for the women’s 200m final at Paris 2024. Ofili finished second in her heat with a season’s best of 22.05s, just behind Julien Alfred, who won the race with a time of 21.98s.
The 21-year-old athlete, who hails from Delta State, was determined to showcase her talents at the Games despite not being registered for the women’s 100m by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) officials.
With her qualification, Ofili becomes the first Nigerian woman to reach the 200m final in 28 years. The last time a Nigerian made it to the final in this event was in Atlanta 1996, when Mary Onyali won a bronze medal—a year before Ofili was even born.
In other news, wrestler Blessing Oborududu lost her semi-final match against Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan in the women’s freestyle 68kg category with a score of 3-1. The 35-year-old Nigerian had a challenging start to the Games, conceding two points in the first three minutes against Canada’s Linda Morais. However, she made a remarkable comeback, scoring six unanswered points to secure an 8-2 victory and advance to the competition’s penultimate round. Oborududu then defeated France’s Koumba Larroque 6-2 in a fiercely contested quarterfinal bout, overcoming an early deficit to secure her spot in the semi-finals.
D’Tigress Coach Rena Wakama and team captain Amy Okonkwo have shared insights into how Nigeria’s women’s basketball team made history by advancing to the quarterfinals of the Olympics for the first time since their debut in Athens in 2004.
Following a victory against Canada on Sunday, August 4, D’Tigress achieved a remarkable milestone as the first African basketball team, regardless of gender, to progress beyond the group stage in Olympic basketball history.
The team’s resurgence was evident as they secured two wins at the Olympics, a feat that solidified their progress in the tournament and sent Canada home.
After a challenging game against France, head coach Rena Wakama emphasized the importance of reverting to their winning strategies for the match against Canada. This tactical adjustment proved to be pivotal in securing their historic victory.
Despite Canada’s strong squad and recent success in international competitions, D’Tigress showcased their dominance with an impressive 11-0 run at the start of the second half, leaving Canada struggling to mount a comeback.
Ezinne Kalu’s impactful performance, contributing 21 points, and Elizabeth Balogun’s standout display with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, played crucial roles in Nigeria’s triumph.
Reflecting on the win, team captain Amy Okonkwo said: “I am so proud of us. The last game wasn’t good for us, and even in the first half today (Sunday), we were not doing what we wanted to come out and do. We talked with ourselves and realised it was win or go home, and we decided we wanted to stay.”
Coach Rena Wakama expressed her immense pride in the team’s achievement, emphasizing the dedication and hard work that propelled them to this groundbreaking moment.
“It’s surreal, and I don’t think it’s going to hit me yet for another couple of hours”, Wakama told FIBA.com.
“I am proud of my girls, and I have pushed them so hard. I have pushed them harder than anyone can even imagine. It’s because I know what they can do, and we did that today, and we showed them who we are.
“It’s about every little detail, and I make them start over [if not done right]. I make them do everything right for these reasons. So, in crunch time and pressure situations, we can execute when our backs are up against the wall.
“I am going to get emotional. I mean, oh jeez—trust the process, keep fighting, keep pushing.
“I have always been a fighter growing up. You tell me I can’t do something, and I am going to tell you that I can.
“I hope young girls are watching this. I wanted to be the first, but I didn’t want to be the last. If we invest in Africa, we are capable of doing really amazing things. We have to put some eyes on Africa and develop the game there, and it starts with grassroots. It will make the game so much better.
“When we are focused on something and when we all come together, we are powerful. Our whole team, support staff, and coaches have the same mindset—a winning mindset.
“I am glad we did have that loss because we were able to get back to what we do best. Also, there’s no pressure now on us, and we have shown everyone that we deserve to be playing here.”
Note that African teams have recorded just one win in a combined 37 basketball games at the Olympics before the 2024 edition of the competition. Interestingly, D’Tigress were the side that recorded the win against South Korea in 2004.
Nigeria’s D’Tigress have made history by reaching the quarterfinals of the women’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
D’Tigress secured a decisive 79-70 win over Canada in their final group match at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France.
This victory marks Nigeria’s first appearance in the quarterfinal stage of the Olympic basketball competition.
Nigeria advanced through the group stage with five classification points, placing them at the top of the standings. France is set to play against Australia later in the day.
Led by coach Rena Wakama, the Nigerian team rebounded from a loss to France in their second game after securing a victory against Australia in their opening match.
The first quarter saw both Nigeria and Canada neck and neck, ending in an 18-18 tie.
Canada managed to pull ahead slightly in the second quarter, leading 41-37 by halftime.
However, the third quarter shifted in Nigeria’s favor, as they restricted Canada to only five points, taking control of the game.
D’Tigress sealed their historic win with a strong performance in the final quarter, achieving a remarkable 9-point victory over Canada.