Nigeria and the symbolism of the Paris Olympics, By Dakuku Peterside

Nations, diplomacy, and sports activities are interwoven. Sports activities individuals and sports activities groups are, in a way, representatives of and mirrors of their nations. It’s no coincidence that almost all nice nations are additionally main sporting nations  as a result of it is a big device of sentimental energy projection. Nations display their may both via ‘Combat’ or ‘play’. The latter is the province of worldwide sporting occasions just like the Olympics. 

Sporting competitions, significantly on the elite degree, have typically been likened to modern-day wars. This metaphor attracts on the extraordinary rivalry, nationalistic fervour, and strategic and bodily battles that characterize sports activities and warfare. Nonetheless, not like precise wars, which contain devastating lack of life and destruction, sports activities present a managed surroundings for channelling aggressive instincts and resolving conflicts via non-violent means. Little surprise the well-known creator Goerge Orwell posits, “critical sport has nothing to do with truthful play. It’s sure up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all guidelines, and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in different phrases, it’s conflict minus the capturing.” Fashionable states will not be anticipated to wage conflict in opposition to one another for the enjoyable of it or simply sheer dominance; the one enviornment of reputable dominance that elicits nationalism and patriotic fervour is worldwide sports activities.

Like wars, sporting occasions, particularly worldwide competitions just like the Olympics, change into arenas the place nationwide pleasure and identification are fiercely defended and displayed. Athletes are sometimes seen as warriors representing their nations, carrying the hopes and aspirations of their individuals. The victories and defeats in these arenas are celebrated or mourned, virtually like battles received or misplaced on a battlefield. The spectacle of nations competing in opposition to one another in these world occasions can evoke robust feelings, very similar to the nationalism that fuels wars. Getting ready for high-level sports activities competitions mirrors the strategic planning  capabilities seen in navy campaigns. Coaches and athletes meticulously examine their opponents, devise sport plans, and adapt their methods because the competitors unfolds. This facet of sports activities is similar to the technique  and ways employed in warfare, the place intelligence, preparation, and adaptableness typically decide the end result. The extraordinary deal with outmanoeuvring and outthinking the opponent in sports activities could be seen as a simulation of the strategic parts of warfare.

The Olympics are the best arenas of sporting glory, the place sporting artistry, creativity and expertise are showcased to a worldwide viewers for fame, glory, prominence and recognition. No matter occurs there mirrors the relative may and priorities of the state. It considerably displays the financial standing of a state and the alternatives it affords. Higher-organized societies and affluent nations usually tend to obtain higher outcomes; the reverse is the other. Affluent nations make investments closely within the sports activities business and reap the reward within the nation’s efficiency at these main sporting occasions. Traditionally, Africa and different third-world nations have received fewer sports activities awards in these competitions. Though this may occasionally have improved just a little not too long ago, the advance just isn’t vital.

The Paris Olympics is the newest iteration of nice energy competitors in sports activities. To this point, the  closing medals desk reaffirms the acquainted order of priority amongst sporting nations: the US, China, Australia, France, the UK, Japan and so on, are the leaders. Regardless of our inhabitants and expertise, Nigeria is nowhere represented within the medals desk. Nigeria’s lacklustre efficiency on the Paris 2024 Olympics has proven our degree of organizational tardiness, shabby preparation and short-term options for long-term challenges, poor incentive system, lack of patriotism, corruption and nepotism; low authorities and personal sector funding.

Olympics success is a operate of many factors- coaching and preparation, athlete dedication and degree of patriotism, sports activities administration capabilities, funding in sporting infrastructure, funding and professionalism. The poor organizational capabilities of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) led to the non-registration of Favour  Ofili for a race during which she had a brilliant probability. This isn’t the primary time NOC has displayed this degree of negligence. Nigeria’s efficiency on the Paris Olympics mirrors the extent of our preparations, funding, and dedication. It’s clear that we’d like a big enchancment in our sports activities administration to avert a extra consequential disaster quickly afterwards.

Our athletes do  not simply  have potential, they’re gifted and succesful. Nonetheless, there’s a lack of ample incentive and motivation for them to excel within the world worldwide sporting enviornment. D’Tigress, Nigeria’s feminine basketball group, turned the primary African group (male or feminine) to succeed in the Olympic quarterfinals in Basketball. Favour Ofili turned the primary Nigerian in 28 years to succeed in the 200m finals. Chukwuebuka Enekwachi, in shotput, shone brightly even and not using a medal. Additionally, 18-year-old Samuel Ogazi turned the primary Nigerian man to succeed in the 400m closing since 1988.  Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor  all secured spots within the closing of the lengthy soar occasion.

These achievements are a testomony to the potential of our athletes and may give us hope for the way forward for Nigerian sports activities.

The Honourable Minister of Sports activities, Senator John Owan Enoh, demonstrated distinctive organizational expertise on the Summer season Olympics. Nonetheless, the restricted timeframe was inadequate to totally impression the ultimate medal desk. This underscores the essential position of possessing superior organizational capabilities and fascinating in long-term planning within the success of our athletes and groups. It’s crucial that we permit satisfactory time for preparations to manifest in tangible outcomes, and this must be a key focus of our sports activities administration.

Nonetheless, the pattern of Nigerian athletes competing for different nations raises questions on our sports activities administration, nationalism, and reward techniques. Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, who received silver for the USA within the hammer throw, was a sufferer of administrative incompetence within the 2020 Olympics and therefore needed to swap illustration to a different  nation.  Salwa Naser took silver for Bahrain within the ladies’s 400m race.  Yemisi Ogunleye received gold within the ladies’s shot put for Germany. Tade Ojora and Victoria Ohuruogu competed for Britain, Rhasidat Adeleke for Eire, Daisy Osakwe for Italy and Manuel Mordi for Germany, amongst others. This pattern is a loss for Nigeria and should finish. We have to be prepared as a rustic to harness the skills of all Nigerians and admire them, regardless of the place they’re on this planet. This won’t solely strengthen our sports activities groups but in addition promote a way of nationwide pleasure and unity. 

John F. Kennedy argued that “sports activities are a microcosm of society. They’re a medium via which we convey our values and targets.” It has the ability to alter the world. It has the ability to encourage. It may unite individuals in a method that little else does. It speaks to younger and previous in a language they perceive. It creates hope, whereas as soon as, there was solely despair. Throughout this Olympics interval, Nigerians feasted on the sport, glued to their screens to cheer up their favorite athletes and encourage Nigerian athletes to sporting immortality. 

Because the Olympic video games had been on, Nigerian youth launched into the mom of all protest, the place within the North, many lives and property had been misplaced and broken, and, within the South, a pervasive feeling of hopelessness was within the air. Whether or not there was any hyperlink between the aggressive sports activities of the Olympics and the competitors for state energy by protesters is but to be fathomed, however one factor is obvious: there’s a parallelism between aggressive sports activities and aggressive contest for influencing authorities energy in a route the protesters are clamouring for.  

The physicality of many sports activities, the place athletes have interaction in direct, generally brutal, competitors, additionally attracts symbolism from bodily fight. Sports activities like boxing, rugby, and American soccer, the place bodily dominance is essential, could be seen as direct analogues to fight. Even in much less bodily confrontational sports activities, the psychological battles between opponents — the place psychological power, resilience, and the need to win are paramount — resemble the psychological warfare between opposing forces in a battle.

Sporting competitions as modern-day wars is a metaphor that captures the Olympics’ depth, rivalry, and nationwide significance. Whereas a lot of the types share many traits with warfare — nationalism, technique, bodily and psychological battles — the essential distinction lies in sports activities’ peaceable and constructive nature. In contrast to wars, which deliver destruction and struggling, sports activities unite individuals, providing a method to rejoice human achievement, resolve conflicts, and foster world unity. The distinction between the Russian-Ukraine conflicts, the Hamas brouhaha and the Paris Olympics is clear. The Olympics are symbols of peace and prosperity. The insane, rootless fanaticism that drives a sports activities group is identical spirit that motivates patriotic individuals. Nigeria ought to use alternatives of future  Olympics to be counted among the many revered  nations of the world. Let our future outing qualify us to  be thought to be a nation of great minded individuals . 

Dakuku Peterside is a public sector turnaround knowledgeable, management coach, public coverage analyst and columnist.