Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh apologize for Nigeria’s performance in Paris Olympics

The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has issued a public apology to Nigerians following Team Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the nation failed to secure any medals.

Nigeria has officially concluded its participation in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, without a single medal to show for its efforts. The country’s final hope, Hannah Reuben, was defeated 5-2 in the second round of the women’s freestyle wrestling 76kg by Mongolia’s Davaanasan Amar Enkh.

In a statement released on Saturday, Enoh expressed his regret, stating, “The Olympic Games, Paris 2024, have ended, and I accept that our performance should have been a lot better. It obviously fell short of our objectives, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians. I must apologize to our compatriots and reflect on what went wrong while looking forward to the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024.”

Enoh, who assumed office as Minister of Sports Development in August 2023, highlighted the challenges he faced, including the task of overseeing preparations for four major international competitions: AFCON, the African Games, and both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, within a very short timeframe. He acknowledged that Olympic-level preparation typically requires at least four years, but revealed that preparations for Paris 2024 had not even begun when he took office.

“Despite the challenges, in the true Nigerian spirit, we aimed to uphold our international sports image. Our target was to replicate or even surpass the success of Atlanta 1996,” Enoh said, referencing Nigeria’s historic performance at the 1996 Olympics. “I held extensive discussions with the Ministry’s management, requested plans and programs from all National Sports Federations, and embarked on a nationwide inspection of our sports facilities.”

Enoh also noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ensured that funding was not a limiting factor, with competition requirements, athlete allowances, and training grants all provided in a timely manner. He personally remained available to address any issues throughout the competition.

“Given all these efforts, the underwhelming performance of our team is puzzling. We owe Nigerians an explanation,” Enoh stated. He emphasized the need to learn from this experience and make significant improvements across all aspects of sports development.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s Olympic history, Enoh reminded the public that the country returned from the 2012 Olympics without a medal, but secured a bronze in 2016 and both a silver and bronze in 2020. “As a country, we deserve more. Let’s turn the disastrous outcome of the 2024 Olympics into a huge positive for Nigerian sports,” he concluded.

Writing By Julian Osamoto