Nigeria’s lackluster performance at the recently concluded Tokyo World Athletics Championship is lamentable. It is sad that Nigeria won only a medal at the event. The Tokyo 2025 experience is a slight improvement over that of 2024 Paris Olympics where Nigeria did not win a medal. Nevertheless, we congratulate world 100 metres hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, for winning a silver medal in Tokyo out of the 15 athletes Nigeria featured. Nigeria’s hope of winning a second medal was truncated after Ezekiel Nathaniel finished fourth in the 400 metres hurdles. Despite missing out on a medal position, Nathaniel was one of Nigeria’s biggest revelations in Tokyo. He broke the African record in the final race.
However, Nigeria’s new sprint sensation, 21-year-old Kanyisola Ajayi, qualified for the 100 metres final, and finished sixth overall. It was the first time a Nigerian male athlete would make the final at a world championship since 2007 with Olusoji Fasugba. In the first heat, Ajayi returned a blazing time of 9.88 seconds to finish behind the South Africa’s Gift Leotlella, and the eventual world champion, Oblique Seville of Jamaica. Ajayi also finished second behind Olympic champion, Noah Miles of the United States (US), to qualify for the final.
Not less than 41 nations, including 7 African countries, won medals in Tokyo. The US was the overall winner with 21 medals, and Kenya came second with 11 medals. Botswana, Tanzania, Algeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, and South Africa were among the African countries that won medals at the championship. Nigeria should learn some lessons from Kenya’s dominance in long distance races. Nigeria must discover areas it has comparative advantage. Our emphasis should be on track and field, especially in the sprints and middle distance races. Most of the medals Nigeria has won at global championships have come from the aforementioned departments. We used to be counted among the elites in these fields in the world.
It is disturbing that Nigeria has lost steam. Its inability to nurture and sustain talents has made Botswana and South Africa to overtake it in its area specialization. Therefore, Nigeria’s below average performance in Tokyo is embarrassing and unacceptable. We must overhaul our athletics and bring it to world-class level. Emphasis should be placed on developing local talents. Let them be provided with the state-of-the-art training facilities and exposure to foreign training. A few Nigerian athletes who are doing well at the moment are based in the US as student athletes, where their universities have exposed them to collegiate games.
It is inappropriate for the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Nigeria’s sports authorities to rely solely US-based athletes, who went to America through scholarships. Instructively, most of the Kenyan, Ethiopian, Botswana and South African athletes, who perform so well at the world stage, are home-based. Sports authorities in the country should justify the annual budget for sports by investing in sports development. It is sad that we had more AFN officials than our athletes in Tokyo. Also, it is appalling that some qualified athletes were dropped from the championship by AFN.
Since athletes now qualify for global athletics competition by universal standards set for all, more Nigerian athletes, especially those based at home should prepare in advance to meet the global requirements. Experts and professionals should be involved in our sports administration. The nation’s sports house has always been peopled by those without sports experience or expertise. This can explain our poor outing in global sporting events. For better performance, it is time to holistically rejig the AFN and NFF.
The AFN and the Nigerian Olympics Committee (NOC) were lampooned for providing poor quality kits to our athletes in Tokyo. This matter should be thoroughly investigated. It must not be swept under the carpet in the usual Nigerian style. The outcome of the investigation must be made public.
The AFN should provide quality kits for our athletes at global sports events. Above all, their welfare must be prioritized. The federal government must ensure that only professionals are appointed into the AFN and the NFF. Fortunately, we have surfeit of such professionals across the country. Nigeria is already reeling from the loss of Favour Ofili to Turkey. Ofili was denied the chance to participate in the 100 metres competition at two separate Olympics due to the negligence of AFN officials. Unfortunately, nobody was sanctioned for the glaring incompetence. Nigeria is yet to produce another Ofili.
We believe that Nigeria’s abysmal performance at global sporting arena can be reversed if the federal government intentionally invests millions of naira in our sports development. Apart from being a business enterprise and an employer of labour, the government can use sports as a tool of diplomacy. Beyond entertainment, sports can be a unifier and a means of mass mobilization of people. We can also boost our dwindling national image through sports. The time to act is now.
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