Classes From The 2024 Olympics

The 2024 Summer time Olympics held in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, 2024, making it the third time Paris has hosted the Summer time Video games since 1900 and 1924. The Video games featured 32 sports activities and 329 occasions, with the introduction of latest sports activities like breaking (breakdancing), together with the return of sports activities like browsing, skateboarding, and sport climbing, which had been standard within the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Many occasions held at iconic Parisian landmarks together with seaside volleyball which passed off on the Eiffel Tower, and equestrian occasions on the Palace of Versailles. One of many targets of Paris 2024 is to be essentially the most sustainable Olympics ever, with a deal with lowering carbon emissions and utilizing current or short-term venues. The opening ceremony was very distinctive and held alongside the Seine River as a substitute of in a conventional stadium with athletes parading on boats down the river, with an estimated 600,000 spectators watching from the banks.

Over 10,000 athletes from world wide competed, with practically equal numbers of women and men, marking a significant step in direction of gender equality within the Olympics. The women and men who graced the 2024 Paris Olympics as athletes of their respective fields are the actual champions with or with out medals. The world must have a good time their braveness and resilience within the face of non-public sacrifice and bodily exertion that mark such competitions.

A Celebration of Tradition, Power and Braveness

Regardless of a few of the preliminary non secular sentiments concerning the opening ceremony, the Video games portrayed a novel mix of custom, innovation, and a celebration of sport within the coronary heart of one of many world’s most iconic cities. Considerations, notably from non secular teams, because of the unconventional nature of the occasion concerning the opening ceremony been held alongside the Seine River relatively than in a conventional stadium setting, raised a number of factors of rivalry.

The choice to carry the ceremony on the Seine River, a major and historic landmark, drew consideration due to its symbolic nature. Some non secular teams expressed concern about mixing of secular and probably non secular symbolism and pointed at sure components of the ceremony that could possibly be interpreted as non secular or non secular.

General, whereas the ceremony aimed to be a celebration of worldwide unity and variety, it needed to confront and navigate the complexities of spiritual sensitivities in a method that honours the spirit of the Olympics with out alienating or offending totally different religion communities. Whether or not that was achieved finally is a special matter altogether. For now, we have a good time these got here, noticed and conquered regardless of all of the hurdles thy gad to face.

Identification Disaster?

Curiously, one other facet of the 2024 Paris Olympics that generated a lot controversy was across the nationalities of athletes notably from Nigeria. These athletes would have gladly performed for Nigeria if issues had been proper with the sports activities officers accountable for fielding them.

Salwa Eid Nasser (Ebele Agbapuonwu) from Anambra state gained Silver for Bahrain within the 400 meters on the Olympics in Paris. She left Nigeria for Bahrain in 2014 having did not safe the correct assist from AFN to compete and has excelled since then. Yemisi Ogunleye born in Germany to a Nigerian father from Omuo Ekiti and a German mom, gained the primary gold medal for Germany within the Shot Put class on the Olympics and even celebrated her victory with a Yoruba music.

Annette Echikunwoke was born and raised in Ohio by Nigerian mother and father however switched allegiance again to the USA after she was deemed ineligible to characterize Nigeria within the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She gained silver within the Hammer Throw whereas Samu Omorodion, born in Melilla, Spain to Nigerian mother and father, helped Spain win gold within the Males’s Soccer Occasion.

There have been a couple of brilliant spots, such because the D’Tigress basketball group reaching the quarterfinals, and lengthy jumpers Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, Prestina Ochonogor making it to the finals, Odunayo Adekuoroye and Adijat Olarinoye, outstanding freestyle wrestlers, who’ve gained a number of medals at World Championships and Commonwealth Video games and Elizabeth Anyanacho in Taekwondo, who competed in Tokyo 2020.

Sadly, regardless of their greatest efforts, not one of the athletes from group Nigeria gained any medals within the 2024 Paris Olympics. Many have attributed a part of this shortcoming to the failings of the Athletics Federation of Nigerian (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).

For Fame and Nation

Nigerian athletes confronted a difficult time on the Paris 2024 Olympics, failing to safe any medals regardless of excessive expectations from the 88 athletes who competed in 12 sports activities. This disappointing consequence has drawn widespread criticism and highlighted numerous points inside Nigeria’s sports activities administration.

One of many key factors of criticism has been the mismanagement of athletes and lack of sufficient preparation, which severely impacted the athletes’ performances together with Tobi Amusan, the world report holder within the 100m hurdles, who didn’t attain the finals, and the Tremendous Falcons, Nigeria’s celebrated girls’s soccer group, did not win a single match in the course of the preliminary rounds.

Systemic points equivalent to poor management, paperwork, corruption, lack of accountability, and insufficient assist for athletes are the first causes for the nation’s underwhelming efficiency. The scenario has sparked calls for a whole overhaul of Nigeria’s sports activities administration to higher put together for future competitions forward of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

So, whereas Staff Nigeria will likely be returning dwelling with out medals from the Paris 2024 Olympics, athletes of Nigerian origin made their mark on the worldwide stage, profitable 4 medals for his or her adopted international locations just like these gained on the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Video games. This example underscores the necessity for important funding in sports activities infrastructure and improvement applications in addition to an enabling setting to nurture and have the most effective expertise.

Nigeria has been competing on the Olympics for 71 years with out sufficient investments within the sports activities. International locations like USA gained 40 Gold 44 Silver and 42 Bronze whereas China gained 40 Gold. Nigerian athletes competing for different international locations is a development influenced by a mixture of things, together with higher alternatives, monetary incentives, and frustrations with the sports activities administration.

Athletes face insufficient funding, poor coaching amenities, and an absence of correct assist from sports activities federations making it troublesome for them to succeed in their full potential. In distinction, international locations with higher assets and assist techniques provide athletes the chance to coach in world-class amenities, obtain skilled teaching, and entry higher healthcare.

Competing for international locations with stronger sports activities applications usually comes with vital monetary advantages like scholarships, sponsorships, stipends, and efficiency bonuses which can be much more substantial than what Nigerian athletes sometimes obtain. The promise of monetary stability and the flexibility to focus solely on their athletic careers is a robust motivator. Others have twin citizenship or are eligible for it, actually because they had been born overseas or have one dad or mum from one other nation permitting them to characterize a special nation in worldwide competitions.

Nigerian athletes usually specific frustration over delayed funds, lack of transparency, and poor therapy, which typically leads them to hunt better-managed applications in different international locations. In some circumstances, athletes select to compete for different international locations as a result of they imagine they’ve the next probability of qualifying for main worldwide competitions or profitable medals. Others transfer overseas on sports activities scholarships, notably to the USA or Europe the place they really feel extra appreciated with out the bureaucratic hurdles that hinder their efficiency.

The issue with corruption and ineptitude is that it impacts all the things. Nothing is spared together with well being, training or sports activities, all the things is corrupted. If one thing isn’t completed quick, Nigeria dangers a worse destiny on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.