<p><em>My N50 Billion Olympic Deal</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://openlife.ng/wp-admin/">OpenLife Nigeria</a></strong> reports that following the somewhat abysmal outing by Nigerian representatives in the ongoing 2021 Olympics in Japan, code-named Tokyo 2021, there are revealing insights why Nigeria’s Olympic records since 1996 have been unimpressive.<br />
The 2021 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and branded as Tokyo 2021, is an international multi-sport event being held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.<br />
For Nigeria, it has been a session of disqualification at the Tokyo games.<br />
Nigerian athlete Chioma Onyekwere, who had trained for years to hone her discus skills, has this to say about her disqualification.<br />
&#8220;This is supposed to be one of the happiest moments of my life,&#8221; she said.<br />
The reason, according to official information, is because Nigerian athletic officials hadn&#8217;t conducted enough drug tests over the past several months and Onyekwere, including nine other Nigerians, unexpectedly found themselves disqualified during the week.<br />
&#8220;I am beyond heartbroken,&#8221; Onyekwere said. &#8220;This feels like a bad dream that I can&#8217;t wake up from.&#8221;<br />
Just on Friday, the 10 disqualified Nigerian track and field athletes took to the streets of the Olympic Village to protest the decision.<br />
&#8220;All we wanted to do is complete,&#8221; read a handwritten sign on cardboard.<br />
&#8220;Dreams shattered,&#8221; another sign said.<br />
&#8220;Athletes do not schedule their own test,&#8221; Onyekwere said. &#8220;It is up to our organization to have a robust test plan for us.&#8221;<br />
Nigeria wasn&#8217;t the only country that failed to meet requirements, but it was by far the most impacted, with 10 of its 23 athletes disqualified.<br />
Also, on Saturday, the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare after she tested positive for human growth hormone. She had been scheduled to participate in the semi-finals of the women&#8217;s 100m that evening.<br />
Speaking on the discouraging news from Japan on Monday, Bolaji Abdullahi, 52, former ThisDay Newspaper columnist and Minister of Sports said ill-preparedness is the reason Nigeria’s performance has been awkward.<br />
The former Honourable Minister of Sports Development under President Goodluck Jonathan noted that he observed the cracks in Nigeria’s sports industry when he led the country to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">2012 London Olympics</a>.<br />
“It is the failure of the system. The system has to be overhauled.<br />
“The essence of funding federation more than athletes is wrong. It has not helped the country. Athletes should be funded directly,” he advised.<br />
Speaking further, Bolaji disclosed that in 2012, he requested N50 billion to kick start preparations for future Olympics including the Tokyo 2021.<br />
He explained that the money would have been sourced from a lottery and other channels but the government, he stated, abandoned the idea. China is currently leading in the medal table followed by United States, Japan, Australia and Switzerland.</p>

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