Do you know Nigerian athletes well enough to match them to their sport?
Let’s find out:
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This Nigerian Athlete Has Decided To Boycott The Olympics After Nigeria’s Bad Outing In Rio
A Nigerian weightlifter, after finishing 8th in her group, has decided to boycott the Olympics until things change for better.Looking at the general performance of the Nigerian team at the Olympics and how badly prepared Nigerian athletes were, it’s only enough to admit that the Nigerian sports sector needs some sort of reform.
Mariam Hassan, who was the only Nigerian weightlifter at the Olympics couldn’t be more disappointed after facing competitors who were better trained with quality equipment.
According to her, it’s useless to compete at the Olympics without winning any medal. She believes Nigerian athletes, when given access to quality training and proper sponsorship, are capable of competing with the best athletes in the world.
She says the most painful part is how the athletes are expected to ‘miraculously’ win gold medals after receiving little support from the Nigerian government.
Mariam has decided to only represent Nigeria in forthcoming Olympics on the condition that better training facilities are provided and things in the sporting sector generally change for the better. One can only imagine how these athletes feel, considering the fact that many of them made it as far as the semi finals of their categories.
This year’s Olympics should serve as a lesson for Nigeria. In the past, Nigeria was one of the top countries that placed Africa on the international sporting map. However, Rio Olympics shows how bad things have become.
We hope this event will make the Nigerian sports ministry take responsibility and change things for the better.
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Divine Oduduru Gave Usain Bolt A Run For His Money And Nobody Experredit
19 year old Divine isn’t only famous for the ‘I never hespereddit’ video that went viral during the International World Youth Championship in 2013.
He currently has 5 gold medals to his name after winning gold medals at the African Junior Championships in 2013 and 2015.
Being a vocal and unapologetic individual, Divine called out the Nigerian sports ministry for not paying proper attention to athletes, especially after qualifying for the Olympics.
Before his 1st race at the Olympics, he reached out to Nigerians and promised to give his best.
And guess what? He qualified for the semifinals! He came 2nd to the legendary Usain Bolt with a time gap of roughly 0.06 seconds.
Nigerians never expereddit!
We’re incredibly proud of Divine.
He basically won that race.
He’s not our mate anymore please!
Therefore, let’s all put some ‘respeck’ on his name and also wish him good luck at the semifinals!
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Nigerians React To The Rio Olympics Ticket Wahala
For a country that’s home to amazing athletes like Blessing Okagbare and Seye Ogunlewe, it’s expected that these sportsmen are properly rewarded for their efforts.
Unfortunately, Nigerian athletes hardly enjoy any benefits and this video couldn’t be more saddening.
Although the Nigerian team qualified for the Summer Olympics, it was reported that the athletes were asked to buy their tickets to the trip themselves.
Some of them had to source for funds via their social media pages.
Outraged by this development, Nigerians tweeted their disappointment in the sports ministry.
It’s unfortunate that after training for years and making the team, they’re still being asked to pay for their tickets.
They shouldn’t be just sourcing for tickets 13 days to the Olympics.
Maybe Nigerian brands should pay more attention to these athletes during these times.
Perhaps, the people running with Nigeria’s money should kuku run for Nigeria.
The Nigerian government ought to invest in things that are more profitable to the country.
Meanwhile, in other countries….
It’s even more disappointing that the fastest man in Asia as at 2016 is Nigerian-born, Femi Ogunode.
For a country with a high unemployment rate, the sports sector should at least be adequately funded so that the Nigerian youth going into sports can be empowered.
Following the reaction from Nigerians on social media, the sports minister, Solomon Dalung, addressed the issue claiming the sports ministry had nothing to do with the email which was obviously signed by a deputy director in the ministry.
He also added that the athletes won’t be paying for their tickets and he will ensure their safe trip the Games Village in Rio.
UPDATE on #Rio2016: New letter makes it clear that FG will issue tickets to enable all athletes travel to and from Rio—as is expected.
— We ASOcial (@DigiCommsNG) July 23, 2016We hope the government keeps their promise and gives these athletes all the support they need.
