I am impressed to hear that selected athletes are in camp in Germany in preparation for the olympics...what an improvement! I only wish and pray they're treated right with equal respect and grants paid in full.
I,m pretty much sure that the Nigerian government is contributing to the downfall of athletics in Nigeria. I visited Nigeria for the first time in 1999 when I graduated from college. Though my parents come from Nigeria, but I was born and brought up in the USA. For what I know and have read so far, Nigeria is only known arround the globe because of their achievements in sports. Nigeria has the most talented athletes in the world, aspecially in the areas of track and feild, soccer and boxing. I,m in love with rack and field sports. Without track and field I don,t think that the Olympic will be held. Despite the fact that the Nigerian government does not encourage these athletes, or think about their future well being, these athletes are still putting in their best to see that their country,s name is maintained. My dad took me to Atlanta in 1996 to watch these men and women of Nigeria running and passing out on the track, then I told my dad that if these athletes can be well taken care of, they will rule the world, but little did I know that one of the Nigerian girls had already won a gold medal in the jumping event. When I went to the soccer stadium, all the American guys were supporting the Nigerian soccer team, and I was overwhealmed to see that they won that gold medal. Nigeria is the only country that changes soccer coaches like clothes. Nigeria is the only country that does not give their athletes training grant in advance for a major championships. Nigeria is the only country that does not honor their track stars. Nigeria is the only country that plays politics in sports. For one to be a minister for sports, he or she must have read and played sports administrations. I have read a lot of articles about how the so-called minister of Nigeria,s sports is illtreating athletes either for late arrival or indiscipline. It is good for one to be discipline, but he should remeber that track and field is an individual sports. For what I have rad about Ngerem, I think he is a leader. He is not just a leader, but also a promoter of track and field sport. According to my research, he inniciated a lot of sponsors to the track and field. He is an excellent leader who needs to be given a long rope of leadership, beccause he is the man that loves track and field, and does not care about his personal gain. I am a track lover like I siad erlier. The Nigerian track and field athletes are going to the Olympics to take part and not to win medal, because countries that need medals started their preparation a year and six months ago. It is good to hear that Nigeria camp their athletes in Germany, but that is an old fashion in track and field sports. What makes American track and field what it is today is their early preparation and a lot of competitions, and as soon as their competition is near they slow their pace. Shame to Nigerians that an ex- military man who has no record in the history of sports administration is their minister of sports. Does that mean that Nigeria has lost her bearing or what? To be a minister of sports is not how well the person can speak , but it is how well the person knows the sports and it,s administrations, and also how effective the person is gonna be. Nigeria,s sports minister is a movie actor that plays a role of a minister of sports. Nigeria should forget about hoping for medal on this coming Olympics, because I used to hear people say that to whom much is being given much is expected. Coming to the sense of it, only those I,m beleiving that is gonna well are Deji, Uchenna, Mercy Nku, and may be their 4x100 men, but women should forget about it, cos Olympics is not a picnic. I love Nigeria, and I am flying to Athens to watch them perform. I thank Ngerem, Though I have not seen him niether do I know him, but I think he needs to be given an applause, cos lots of people are commending him over here, but anyone who thinks he or she is whot to replace Ngerem should submit his or her resime..
HEY!!! RUNAWAY HORSE!!! HOLD ON A SECOND!..
I don't know if you're talking about the same person hear bub! have you seen the decline in our performances in the last 6 yrs..not laying it on Mr Ngerem but he hasn't exactly put in much of a positive impact since taking hold of the reins of leadership of the AFN in fact, all I can garner from the various forums on Nigerian Sports/Athletics sites and Reports is that he IS hurting Athletics Nigeria!!!
Nigeria has almost NEVER had any creditable leadership in Sports anyway..it needs to start now as we have new talent coming through..{not talking about the re cycled "goods" though}..they will need proper admin and maintenance to achieve their potential..
So Mills, I don't know what your parameters are..but Exxon Mobil have delivered the Death Knell?!!!...what you gonna say 'bout that?
And, I don't see us doing anything tangible in Greece..We got only four gold and three silver at the African's?..ugh heck! we're in for some excruciatingly dismal performances..no disrespect to the athletes, but they'll be in another world and shell shocked for what it's worth..I don't know anything, but I do think that UCHENNA EMEDOLU Should be on the team!!! and what's going on with Deji Aliu? he scarpered right after the selection meet?
MR Patrick Ekeji, the Director of Sports Development in the Federal Ministry of Sports, not too long ago was reported to have boasted that Nigeria would return with ten, that’s right ten, gold medals from the Athens Olympics. What Mr. Ekeji did not take into account is that Nigeria might not even have up to ten athletes to send to the Athens Olympics and, at the rate the country is going about the development of athletics, there might be nobody to send to future Olympics.
The reasons for this state of affairs were well captured by Mr Dan Ngerem in the letter he was reported to have written to the Presidency.
Apart from poor preparation of the athletes, is growing indiscipline and the pervasive influence of drugs and sex. The other causes would include poor management of the AFN itself. But that is only part of the reason for this year’s poor showing and the calamity that could follow if care is not taken.
Dan Ngerem himself and his writings represent one of the reasons why Nigerian athletics is in deep trouble today.
Sports, as everybody knows, is big business, even though the officials of the AFN would want to continue to deceive themselves that it is amateur. To be sure, athletes start as amateurs performing in inter-house tournaments in primary, then secondary schools; and if lucky, they proceed to polytechnics and universities where they would have matured a bit. Another route to stardom has been through representing their states in national athletics competitions or some clubs.
Even at these stages, financing the development of athletes becomes a problem. It is not a mere coincidence that the states that have allocated more funds to sports almost always end up winning the largest number of gold medals. Invariably, those who emerge to represent their country require more funds for training, for better nutrition and healthcare. And that means finding and encouraging sponsors and keeping them.
In those countries where sports had been well developed, private organizations provide the bulk of the funds, followed by philanthropists; governments come last; except in third world countries.
The private organizations sponsoring sports, it must be understood, are under no obligation to do so; sponsorship is voluntary unlike taxes which are mandatory.
In addition, the organization is faced with a wide range of choices from health, to music, to education and of course, sports and even within sports the selection is uncountable. So in selecting to sponsor the development of any sport, the sponsor is actually doing those in the sport a favour. That explains why the sponsor(s) must be cultivated and relationships with them must be as cordial as possible.
I can say this because as Marketing Manager for North Brewery, in Kano, I was the originator of what later became Dala Hard Court in Lawn Tennis in 1983. Actually, it started as POWER STOUT HARD COURT aimed at promoting our brand of stout.
This was to be held jointly with the Kano Club and Kano State Sports Council. Opposition to the alcoholic beverage sponsoring the event, which I was still pushing by virtue of my interest in tennis at the time, resulted in the compromise; Dala is a range of hills in Kano State; so that was how the tournament got its name. North Brewery immediately made it clear that it would sponsor the tournament only in the first two years; thereafter, the situation will be reviewed. In fact, the brewery never returned to the sponsorship of Dala.
Why have I related the Kano experience? To make three points. First, private sponsorship is never totally altruistic; two, somebody must champion the cause on the inside and three, the sponsor must at all times be satisfied that the social returns of sponsoring the particu
MADAM OGUNKOYA-OSHEKU'S COMMENTS RE: MARY ONYALI & UCHENNA EMEDOLU...{WHILE BOASTING OGUN STATE WILL HOST & WIN THE 2006 NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL?...HOW FOR DO?}..
it is quite unfortunate that some one of Ogun-Oshek's knowledge, experience and awareness would state that it was a good decision to drop "Queen Mary" and Uchenna Emedolu from the Athens bound team.
if she had'nt spent most of her track years in and around the USA, then I would have pardoned her but her statement just befuddles me..
DEAN MACY HAS JUST BEEN INCLUDED IN THE GBR TEAM ATHENS WHEN HE MANAGED TO ACHIEVE THE SET OLYMPIC STANDARD AT AN "ABE ILE" MEETING IN THE NORTH OF LONDON..I.E A VERY LOCAL MEET...SO WHAT CAN SHE SAY ABOUT THAT IN RELATION TO THE SITUATION IN DISCUSSION?....
DORIS JACOB...51.89
SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING QUICKLY, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!
DORIS MUST SPRINT AT ATHENS!!!
SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE WORLD LEADING TIME, BUT SHE'S COMPETITIVELY FIT AND READY TO RACE.
Pls i am not sure that Nigeria is participating in the on-going paralympic games in athens. Because I have checked all the participants and no Nigeria is to be found there. Pls put me though. Is it true or false? Thanks.
