Olympics 2024:Sports Minister Apologizes to Nigerians For Medal-less Outing, Pledges Reforms

By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde 

The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has issued an apology to Nigerians following the disappointing results of Team Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the country failed to win a single medal.

In a statement released on Saturday, Enoh acknowledged the underwhelming performance, saying, “The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have ended, and I recognize that our performance should have been much better. It fell short of the goals, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians. I sincerely apologize to our fellow citizens and commit to reflecting on what went wrong as we look ahead to the Paralympic Games in Paris from August 28 to September 8.”

OPEN TELEVISION Naija(OTN) News reports that Nigeria officially concluded its participation in the 2024 Olympics in Paris without securing a single medal. 

OTN News recalls that the last hope for a medal for the country  at the Olympics came on Saturday when Hannah Reuben, competing in the women’s freestyle wrestling 76kg category, lost her second-round match 5-2 to Mongolia’s Davaanasa. 

Enoh, who assumed office as Minister of Sports Development in August 2023, stated that he faced the challenge of preparing for four major international competitions which are the AFCON, African Games, the Olympic and Paralympic Games within a few months. 

He noted that upon taking office, he quickly learned that preparations for the Olympics, which was less than a year away, had not yet begun. 

"In the true Nigerian spirit, we believed we should make every effort to uphold our country’s international sports reputation. Our goal was to replicate or even surpass the success of the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. To achieve this, we adopted a progressive strategy to enhance the performance of our athletes and coaches. In my first week, I asked all National Sports Federations to provide their plans and programs, and I also initiated a nationwide inspection of our sports facilities," Enoh explained.

"Throughout the entire process, President and Commander in Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu ensured that funding was not an issue. The necessary competition resources for athletes were provided, allowances were paid in advance, and training grants were distributed to all athletes."

"I made myself available to address any concerns during the competition. Given these efforts, the disappointing performance of our team is perplexing, and we owe Nigerians an explanation."

Enoh emphasized that "there are important lessons to be learned from this outcome, and we must make improvements across the board. The last time we returned from the Olympics without a medal was in 2012."

He further encouraged that "In the following two Olympics, we earned a bronze in 2016 and both a silver and bronze in 2020. As a nation, we should expect better. Let’s use the disappointing results of the 2024 Olympics as a catalyst for significant positive change in Nigerian sports."