52 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012
I
HAVE to tell this story to President Goodluck Jonathan for he is also the patron of Nigeria Olympic Committee. I was in Calabar where Nigeria held their track and field Olympic trials. One morning I spent sometime with Blessing Okagbore, Nigeria’s brightest prospect at the London Olympics. Blessing won for Nigeria her first medal at the Beijing Olympics. Let me briefly introduce Blessing to the President with this short profile: 2008 Beijing
Long jump
All-Africa Games Gold 2011 Maputo Silver 2011 Maputo Silver 2011 Maputo
Long jump 100 m 4x100 m
African Championships Gold 2010 Nairobi Gold 2010 Nairobi Silver 2012 Benin
100 m Long jump 100 m
Continental Cup Bronze 2010 Split
100 m
Best performances Long jump 100m 200m Season’s best 11.01 seconds 22.63 seconds
6.97m 11.00 seconds 22.71 seconds
I
f Blessing were to be a footballer with similar achievements she would always receive queenly treatment everywhere in Nigeria including the Presidency. But she is not a footballer. But for the assistance from Delta State and she would have probably changed nationality and could be competing for another country now. In Calabar, Blessing told me how painful and frustrating it has been competing for Nigeria. “When you compete for Nigeria you just have to inspire yourself. If you depend on the country you develop terrible feelings that will make you fail. I have tried to always motivate myself. I won bronze in Beijing. I ran in the heats for the 4x100 m relay team that won bronze. When I meet athletes from other countries who won medals or those who got to the finals
A
RSENAL have an nounced they have postponed their proposed pre-season trip to Nigeria. The Gunners were set to play a match in Abuja on August 5, but have now decided against ful-
FG: You have failed W our athletes and find out what their performances were worth I feel empty. I feel terrible. Their countries have rewarded them. I wonder what we have done wrong. Did we do wrong by competing for Nigeria in Beijing? They promised to reward us if we won any medals in Beijing. We did but up till today they are yet to fulfill their
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Bronze
I really don’t know if I’ll run the relays in London. I will do 100m and the Long Jump and I don’t know if my body will be strong enough to do the relays. We will see how it goes but based on the treatment I have received from Nigeria I am not excited about the relays.” Blessing’s story touched me. I felt bad about the humiliation athletes from sports other than football go through in Nigeria. Blessing spoke not only for herself but also for other athletes. One week after this chat Nigeria won the Africa Athletics Championships in Benin Republic. The last time they did so was about 12 years ago. hat they won was the equivalent to the soccer Nations Cup. They are Africa’s champions. As you read this, the Federal Government has not even issued an official statement congratulating them what more rewarding them. If it were football you and I know the euphoria that would have gripped the country and its government by now. Yes, I know it was not football which I agree is our number one sport but don’t these athletes deserve a pat on the back? And this happening just before the Olympics is the BEST way not to encourage the athletes. I totally condemn the Federal Government's indifference to other sports in the country. They were not even aware that we are African champions in athletics until the minister of sports Bolaji Abdullahi told them in the last Executive Council Meeting. They merely congratulated him and it ended there. Bolaji hopes that things will change with time. I hope so but their attitude is not encouraging. And going by the money they released to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (just above N100m) for the Olympic preparation. They have failed the athletes and the federation. This is why Blessing and other athletes will continue to lament. This is why you see many Nigerians competing for other countries. This is why any medal Nigeria wins in London will be a surprise to me. If any comes, it will be by sheer individual effort of the athletes and not as a result of our preparation. I hope that Blessing changes her mind and competes in the relays for they remain our slight chance of winning a medal in London. For the sake of the spirit of Olympism, for herself and for the records let her give her all in London for a win will not only be for the country but also for her profile. The fame and opportunities that could follow will surely be rewarding if not in Nigeria, in the athletics world. I say same to other athletes too. Give your all in London no matter the failings of Nigeria. You can win for yourself and not for Nigeria.
What they won was the equivalent to the soccer Nations Cup.
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promise. At the last All Africa Games I ran with injury. I jumped with pain even when my coach advised against me competing. I went against my coach to win gold for Nigeria. My coach told me that I must have been insane because I risked my career by competing with that injury. My career was almost over. It was a stupid thing to do. But do you know that Nigeria did not even pay for my medical bills that time? I think, truly, that I was in insane at the time. How can a sane person risk her career for nothing or for a country that does not appreciate her no matter what you give back? Perhaps I was insane. But now that I have my sanity back, I think I will consider my health before doing anything.
Arsenal cancel Nigeria tour filling the fixture as “a result of complexities linked to the planned game.” Arsenal marketing director Angus Kinnear
said in a statement: “Bringing a top-level club to an international market is always complicated and logistically challenging. “With the proposed
match in Nigeria planned for early August, we could not get comfortable on everything needed to satisfy our requirements, so
“We have continued to surpass all expectations because we find strength in those things that we do not have and that is the Nigerian spirit. That is what you are taking to London. We are a nation of great athletes, who I believe can win medals in London. “We must start now to build systems that can produce medalists, rather than athletes who can chase medals.. We expect you to make us proud but we don’t want medals that are tainted by drugs. Do not go near drugs. We can only build on what we have achieved so far”.
Games camp in the University of Surrey, where they would finalise their training ahead the commencement of the biggest sports showpiece in the world. Ndanusa, who is now the custodian of Team Nigeria to the London Games, said that he was confident that the athletes will make the nation proud at the Olympics. He also used the opportunity of the trip to warn them not to cheat to win. “Having invested so much in our preparations for the Games, I charge our athletes to reciprocate this gesture by abstaining from any act that could tarnish the image of our country before the comity of na-
to exercise absolute caution is the issue of doping. “The position of the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency on the use of banned substances has become more stringent and pronounced through the deployment of high-tech detectors. I want you to be wary of any medication or drugs that could endanger your chances of doing well at the Games. “The medical team should also take proactive steps in monitoring the athletes, especially as it relates to their nutrition and medication.”
we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the team’s visit.” Kinnear continued: “We have a huge and loyal following in Africa, and we are sorry that
the team will not be visiting this summer. “However, we have a long-term commitment to Nigeria and we are already making plans for a visit next summer.
Eagles face Liberian test Good luck to you, President Olympics: Nigeria lands in London star striker Didier Drogtions. One major area Jonathan wishes athletes Continues from B/P Continues from B/P ba blazed a regular-time where our athletes need Continues from B/P
said that it was time for Nigeria to return to winning ways, beginning from London. “For how long will our best continue to remain in our past is the big question on my mind and that is the challenge before you as you go for the Games in London. We should start asking what strategic policies are we putting in place to make people work and win”, said President Jonathan through Bolaji. He said that the undying Nigerian spirit was going to propel athletes to greater heights in London.
C M Y K
this time around, because the prize is a ticket to play in the next edition of the Nations. Having missed the last edition held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Nigeria would be hoping to make amends by doing en encore over Liberia. In other fixtures, Ivory Coast were paired with Senegal in the highlight of the final qualifying round draw for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa made on Thursday. The Ivorian Elephants finished runners-up to Zambia after a penalty shootout in the 2012 final in Libreville last February after captain and
spot kick over. Zambia start their title defence with a home game against Uganda while the Black Stars of Ghana will fancy their chances against Malawi Central African Republic, shock qualifiers for the round-of-30 draw at the expense of Egypt, were paired with Burkina Faso and have a good chance of winning and making a first appearance at the tournament. Ethiopia, another country to upset the odds by ousting Benin, face Sudan in a spicy East African derby and another intriguing regional showdown pits Libya against Algeria.