Dispirited Team Nigeria hunt for medals in Glasgow

However, if reports emanating from Glasgow are anything to go by, Team Nigeria may need a miracle to surpass their last performance in New Delhi, India. There are concerns that the athletes are not properly motivated for the challenge of winning medals.Even before the team departed for the games, there were complaints over shoddy preparations […]

However, if reports emanating from Glasgow are anything to go by, Team Nigeria may need a miracle to surpass their last performance in New Delhi, India. There are concerns that the athletes are not properly motivated for the challenge of winning medals.
Even before the team departed for the games, there were complaints over shoddy preparations due to lack of funds. As usual the National Sports Commission, NSC, ran cap in hand to get the athletes in Scotland for the games.
This did not come as a surprise because as it was alleged, the ministry of sports had expended part of the money meant for the Commonwealth Games on helping the NFF to prosecute Super Eagles participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 
Consequently, it is common knowledge that the athletes in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games are faced with so many challenges which can easily scuttle Nigeria’s chances of making any serious impact at the games.
Nigeria’s best performance at the games came in 1994 when the country amassed a total of 37 medals. The second best performance for Team Nigeria was at the last edition in New Delhi, India where Nigeria won a total of 33 medals.
At the games holding in Glasgow, expectations are therefore high that Nigeria which ended 9th in India four years ago will improve on that performance to end among the first three nations on the medals table.
In the Commonwealth Games, dubbed the third largest in the world, only after the Olympics and the Asian Games, more than 4,900 athletes from 71 nations will compete in 17 sports.
The sports include; aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey judo, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, shooting, squash, table tennis, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling.
It is also worthy of note that over 35 per cent of countries participating in the games are from the African continent.
Nigeria is being represented at this year’s games by a total of 127 athletes who are going to compete in seven events namely, shooting, wrestling, boxing, table tennis, weightlifting, Para-Athletics and Powerlifting.
A further break down of the list of athletes shows that Athletics has 46 athletes (22 male, 24 female), followed by Weightlifting with 16 athletes (8 male, 7 female).
Shooting has 15 athletes (9 male and 7 female), while wrestling will be represented by 14 athletes (7male, 7female).
Boxing is featuring 11 athletes (8 male, 3 female) with Table Tennis having 10 athletes (5 male, 5 female).
Para Athletics has 9 athletes (3 male, 6 female), while Para-Power lifting presented the least with 6 athletes (3 male, 3 female).
On Nigeria Olympics Committee’s choice of only seven events and 127 athletes to represent the country, Tunde Popoola, the Secretary-General of the NOC, told NAN that the committee had to concentrate on the area of the country’s strength.
“However, for other sports like Taekwondo and the likes, there were just not enough funds to sponsor the athletes,’’ he said.
He said that the NOC was taken the Commonwealth games seriously, adding that it was a litmus test for the country’s athletes ahead of the Olympic Games.
“The games are a prelude to the Olympics as various countries use the games to prepare their athletes for the next Olympic Games.
“It is also a developmental stage for the young athletes. For instance, Usain Bolt who is a household name in athletics today participated in the games for Jamaica at the age of 17.
“So, our athletes are not just going to the games to participate but to develop themselves and also win medals for the country,’’ he said.
Popoola also said that he was confident that with hard work and luck, the athletes could improve on the 10 gold, eight silver and 14 bronze medals they won at the last edition in India.
“For me, I believe we can achieve more than what we recorded in 2010 since we are focusing and competing in sports we are good in.
“The athletes have been working hard and I pray luck is on our side this time around.’’
Despite Popoola’s optimism, some Nigerians are of the view that if included, Taekwondo which has in the past won laurels for the nation would have brighten Nigeria’s chances of winning at least five additional medals at the games.
The Chukwumerije brothers, Isa Adam Mohammed and others have the requisite experience and ability to win Nigeria some medals at the games.
Since it is said there is no need to cry over spilled milk, Nigeria will be banking on athletics and powerlifting where she is hoping to pick as many medals as possible. Furthermore, Nigeria is also a powerhouse in weightlifting.
So as the games roll on, the camp of Nigeria will be looking towards the experience and exposure of the likes of Blessing Okagbare, Obinna Metu, Egwero-Ogho Oghene and Segun Toriola for silverwares.
However, as the 2014 Commonwealth games is an avenue to discover and nurture athletes for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, the games would also see some aging Nigerian athletes quit the stage. Among such athletes who might like to end on high is Nigeria’s Olympics appearance record holder, Segun Toriola. He has represented Nigeria in table tennis at six Olympic Games beginning from Barcelona 1992.