Who Is To Blame For Nigeria’s Failure At The 2015 World Athletics Championships? The Athletes Or The Govt.

While other African counties like South Africa and Kenya returned from the 2015 Beijing Athletics Championships with medals to show for their efforts, Nigeria returned with zero medals.

After failing in all other categories and sports, Nigeria’s last hope Blessing Okagbare finished fifth in the 4x400m Women’s relay in Sunday’s final.

Nigerians were disappointed that the quartet of Regina George, Funke Oladoye, Tosin Adeloye and Patience Okon could not upset the USA and Jamaica in the 4X100 relay.

Regina George, Funke Oladoye, Tosin Adeloye and Patience Okon at 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 at Beijing National Stadium on August 30, 2015 in Beijing, China. CREDIT: Getty Images

Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare who was expected to lead team Nigeria suffered an unfortunate injury which hampered her performances and participation.

Blessing Okagbare

Back in 2013 at the World Athletics Championship, Okagbare picked up a sliver and a bronze (Nigeria was medal less for 14 years) and it seems we had returned to the 1996 season in which the country’s athletes were successful at the Olympics.

Some of the athletes who spoke to Vanguard were angered by the manner in which the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) handled the financial situation of the sportsmen and women.

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Triple Jumper, Tosin Oke, who finished in the top world’s top eight was angered that some athletics were given much more financial rewards than his. He said: “How can an athlete be receiving five digits every month and I get zero?”

Tosin Oke

Oke begged for the AFN leadership to be changed ahead of the Rio Olympics next year .

Gloria Asunmu who is the current National 100m Women’s champion, blamed officials and poor preparedness.

She said: “I am not disappointed we couldn’t scale through because this is what you get when you don’t prepare. The federation should always be prepared. Put people in charge who know what they are doing. Up till the (national) trials in Warri (Maurice) Green (the former world and Olympic 100, 200m and 4x100m champion) has been our coach.

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“But when we got here, we found out he is not. The team bonding and chemistry we had under him was destroyed. Everyday what we have been having here is confusion. This is not how to prepare for a world championships. This is embarrassing.”

UK based, Olusoji Fasuba (Africa’s fastest man ever and former 60m champion) stated on his facebook page:  “Nigerian athletics has finally become a place where dreams are reduced to African championship and those that they deem can’t make a future thrown aside. But those thrown aside are taken at a young age by other countries and turned to world class in a couple of years.( unlike us who buy retired 100m runners to try and develop).

Olusoji Fasuba

 “When a country like Kenya can produce world champions in the 400m hurdles, then hope is not lost for Africa.

“But when a country like Nigeria thinks African championship is the ultimate of all ultimate because they refuse to give or have faith in their athletes at the world stage. Then my people we are lost as a country. How can my nation Nigeria move forward when they limit the abilities of the male sprinters by keeping them because they feel that they wouldn’t get a medal.”

The athletes have spoken but should the Nigerian’s blame blame the AFN or the athletes for relaxing on their laurels?

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