Olympics: Why do we like to cry over spilt milk?

The Paris 2024 Olympics has come and gone and the Nigerian contingent returned without nicking any medal. This topic presently dominates the public space. Emeritus sportsmen and women, coaches, sports administrators and public analysts are presently engaged in diatribes about the global event. The huge sum expended on the nation’s participation has been described as a waste of scarce resources in a country contending with visible, tangible fiscal challenges. They may be right. But what about the cost of not participating in the global event? This is where logic comes into play. It is not enough to condemn the team for not winning any medals. The question should be around if some participants at the event learnt a thing or two at that global meet. This should be the topic of discourse. It is common sense. I stand to be corrected.

The parable of crying over spilt milk is deep. It implies that there’s no point in being upset over something that has already happened and cannot be reversed. This is the reality. Those dissipating energy on castigating the performance of the Nigerian contingent at the Olympics should take things easy with themselves. No matter the amplification of public commentary will turn back the hands of time or make the organizers award Nigeria honorary medals. That Nigerians feel disappointed because of the heavy financial investment in the competition is understandable. There is indeed an African saying to the effect that money must be invested in the quest for more money.

I have learnt great lessons about life and how things may not always go as planned in some instances. In such situations, you learn the necessary lessons and move on. Bringing down the roof will not change anything. This mindset has helped me a great deal and it is the same mindset I want us compatriots to embrace and emulate. This is on the heels of the fact that it wasn’t like the Nigerian team crashed out disgracefully in all the events. There were outstanding performances which did not necessarily result in medals. Our folks gave good accounts of themselves and will live to fight another day.

For example, our female basketball team, D’Tigress put up a good performance becoming the first African basketball team, male or female to advance to the quarter-finals of the sport. They lost in the quarter-finals. But let us not forget that the Nigerian female basketball team was the only African basketball team (men and women) to progress to the last 16 at the event. Nigeria’s ranking in the International Federation of Basketball, (FIBA), will by this feat be catapulted northwards. Besides, the coach, the 32-year-old charismatic Rena Wakama, was honoured as the Best Female Basketball Coach at the Paris 2024 Olympics tournament. It didn’t matter that the Nigerian team didn’t win any medals. This is not a failure anyway. This much we must understand about the intricacies of sporting competitions. Similarly, D’Tigress’ point guard Ezinne Kalu, was named one of the “All-Second Team of the Olympics Women’s Basketball.” This is a recognition to treasure.

Blessing Oborududu gave a good account of herself in the wrestling category. She went all the way to the semi-finals. This is the same for others who gave good accounts of themselves. Medals solely should not be the sole barometer for measuring sporting success. It’s quite uncharitable in my opinion to tag Team Nigeria to the Paris 2024 Olympics as failures. Nigerians wanted more from their flagbearers at the quadrennial event, but unfortunately, our best was not good enough. We must accept this reality in good faith and begin to plan for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Peter Obi, the Labour Party, (LP) presidential candidate during the 2023 general elections decried the amount of money spent participating in the Olympics with no medals to show for it. He wrote: “Now that the Paris Olympics 2024 has officially ended and our dear Team Nigeria, despite the huge financial investment made into the project, is returning without a single medal, let me unreservedly register my displeasure with the performance of our team and their handlers.” I think he missed the point. His emphasis was on medals alone while leaving out other positives from the tournament. I dare say he played politics with the situation by trying to associate the outing of teams Nigeria to leadership failure. It doesn’t add up.

One can understand Mr Obi’s background as a very shrewd businessman very well grilled by the business basics to the effect that every penny spent must be recouped and with interest! It doesn’t always work that way. The former LP flagbearer would do well to admit that it is not all financial decisions that he has made in the course of his life that have turned out well. Some business enterprises can go wrong. We can’t be too careful. Those in the same boat as Peter Obi who have questioned the amount of money spent on this compendium need to be circumspect. They must understand that you win some and you lose some.

The milk has spilled and we need not cry. We should move on taking care not to let the milk spill again. What do we need to do? Start preparations early for the next competition. Yes, it was not a good outing, but I disagree that it was a “disastrous” one. There was nothing disastrous in the outing because we didn’t win medals. It wasn’t that there were no preparations. The overall performance didn’t indicate a lacklustre performance. It simply indicates that we need to do more through early preparations and active engagement in sporting events by our athletes before major tournaments such as this.

Let’s remember that Team Nigeria put up a brilliant performance at the 13th African Games held recently in Ghana. They clinched 37 gold medals, 26 silver medals and 35 bronze medals to come second on the medals table. I believe that the bulk of the athletes that represented the country at the African Games were those that participated in the Olympics. What does this tell us? It tells us that our athletes are not as bad as some have portrayed. Their participation alone in the global arena is an experience that many of the athletes would cherish and improve upon. That conversation about the financial cost of the tournament to Nigeria should be set aside. Our athletes have gained exposure to the dynamics of global meets and can only be better prepared for the future.

Those heaping the blame at the doorsteps of the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh must stop. There is no basis for this. The Minister has tried to exonerate himself, but one thinks this was not necessary. What he owes Nigerians is to carry out an audit of the country’s participation in the tournament to understand the areas that need improvement. This would enable our athletes to compete better and possibly win medals, moving forward. If there is a need to rejig the sporting federations for productivity, Minister Enoh should step on toes. If there is a need to revamp youth tournaments across the country to identify raw talents to be groomed to represent the country in future tournaments, he should do so without prevarication.

Owan reportedly raised some concerns just before the tournament. It was, however, late as there was nothing fundamental that could be done in the circumstance. I salute his bravery in admitting that national expectations were not met. This is the first step to fixing the problem. The next step is to take concrete actions to fill the identified loopholes. This much he has pledged to do. Minister Enoh should be given the benefit of the doubt. There is no point crying over spilt milk. Let’s ensure the new jug of dairy we intend to raise henceforth is sufficiently secured from the mishap of the last experience. Let the planning for the coming Commonwealth Games; All Africa Games; African Cup of Nations, (AFCON); the Los Angeles Olympics and the various competitions organized at the regional, continental and global podiums, begin now!

Ocheja, a military historian and doctoral researcher, is an alumnus of the Nigerian Defence Academy