From Onochie Anibeze, Moscow
The poor funding of other sports other than
football has had it’s toll on Nigeria here.
It is a scandal by all standards in sports.
Athletics Federation of Nigeria took athletes to
the World Championships (equivalent of World
Cup in soccer) without even a day’s camping.
They did not have money to organise a camp
for the athletes that they brought here. It is a
shame. Only N15m was approved for the
championships and the money, we gathered,
was released after the delegation landed here
in Moscow for the 14th edition of the World
Championships.
It’s a long time apathy for which Solomon
Ogba, the President of Athletics Federation of
Nigeria says the current sports Minister is
determined to stop.
Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (2nd-R) wins heat
1 during the women’s 100 metres semi-final at
the 2013 IAAF World Championships at the
Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on August 12,
2013. AFP PHOTO
The effect of this here in Moscow came to bare
when officials discovered that Ajoke Odumosu,
the 400m hurdler is injured that she could not
train well what more competing among the
best in the world. But Nigeria entered her for
the event. And in order to avoid sanctions
Ajoke had to line out for the event. And what
did she do? She beat the gun two times and
fouled out.
Beating gun in a 400m event? And two times
for that matter? And in hurdles for that
matter? It was simply ridiculous and Nigeria
bore the shame that could have been avoided
if there was even a one week camping for the
coaches to assess the athletes they were taking
to the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Ajoke has been a top athlete for Nigeria and
one known for making sacrifices to don the
Nigerian colours. She is among the only four
Nigerians with A Standard qualification for the
World Championships, the others being 400m
runner, Regina George, Gloria Asunmu, the
sprinter and of course Blessing Okagbare who
is a Long Jump silver medallist and who begins
another medal chase in the 200m today.
Tosin Oke, the male Triple Jumper is also not
fit. The coaches only found out here. And
that’s how Nigeria has become almost a one-
athlete nation.
Track and field is an individual sport so the
current form or fitness of athletes who train
on their own and under their various coaches
can only be properly assessed in closed
camping shortly before championships which
could be months after their qualification
marks.
“We would not have had this problem if we
had money to camp athletes for even a short
time,” one AFN official lamented, adding “it’s a
shame that this is happening to a Nigerian
team in the World Championships.”
Another official said that the media should
help in educating the government on what
their priorities should be when planning their
allocations for sports development.
Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi is here in
Moscow and he appears more determined to
turn around sports in Nigeria.
But the rot before he came was deep and his
achievement would depend on not only
planning but how he succeeds in making
government approve more funds for sports
and how he reorganises the NSC and ensures
transparency in the management of the
available little funds.
Abdullahi, however, leaves Russia a happy man
as Nigeria broke a 14 year old medal drought
in the World Championships. It is equally so
for all members of the AFN especially Ogba
who has been spending his personal money to
run athletics in Nigeria.
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