Monday, August 13, 2012

Now that the Olympics have come and gone…


Hello Beautiful People,

I hope you had a good weekend.  I certainly did even though I had planned to just chill and relax within the confines of my room after a fun weekend out last week. On Saturday evening, my house mate offered me two tickets to the Orange County fair and I just casually mentioned to my friend, she was game. She visited me for the first time with another friend and together we had a BLAST on Sunday at the fair!
Anyways, before I digress…my post is going to be about the Olympics. Now, note that I am not really a sports person but I try to stay informed as much as possible. As I mentioned in my welcome post, I like to contribute to meaningful discussions.
So yeah, the Olympics have come and gone and would you believe Team USA had 104 medals…wow! Of the 104 medals, I am proud to say Team OC contributed 14 of those medals (Yes, I heard it on the news today)...Lol. But sadly, NIGERIA is not on the medal table and that is the issue of this discuss.
I started to watch the Olympics quite late, but then I followed most of it on twitter and facebook of course, BBM PM/DP updates were also informative. Like many little things that inspire me, I was really inspired by the stories of some of the athletes. NBC did a great job of playing and replaying their stories and I can tell you that the feat achieved by many of them did not come by wishing, it did not come by just assembling a team to “show-face” like Nigeria did. Many of these guys had been training for years! Can you believe it?
Training for days, months and years unending. In fact, many of the athletes do not have full time jobs, preparing for these games is their FULL TIME JOB, now that is  the definition of “preparation meets performance”.  Bryshon Nellum was shot in his legs 4 years ago on his way to training; he made a comeback this year in the Men’s 4 x 100m relay after several surgeries and recoveries.   I saw the tears on the face of 27 year old, Michael Phelps (most decorated Olympian of all times with 22 medals)’s mom, Gabby Douglas’ Mom, I could go on and on.
In all of this, during my moments of reflection all I could muster was what excuse does Africa have? Really, what excuse does Africa, more importantly, the giant of Africa, Nigeria have? What cogent reasons can we give for not being on the medal table?
Just as I was about to write this post, someone’s BBM status read “Atlanta ’96, GB 2 Gold medals, NG, 1 Gold medal, 16 years after GB 29 gold medals, NG not on the medal table” . I was so ashamed reading that update. It is extremely depressing and shameful. I watched Nigerians proudly represent and win medals for other countries and I was even more depressed.
While I commend and admire all the athletes who represented our dear nation, I commend them for even trying to represent Nigeria, a country whose leaders do not even encourage them, a country whose resources were not invested in bringing out the best in them, a country who will not appreciate them even if they brought home the medals…yes, what happened to those who brought home the medals in 1996? I saw how people bashed the Nigerian Basket ball team and I dare ask, did Nigeria train them? Most of them were born and bred and trained in the USA so technically they did Nigeria a favor by even representing in the first place.
I ask again just as I did on my facebook page, what incentive is there for me or anyone as a Nigerian to participate in any sport/game with the intent of winning? What do I stand to gain from it? Are there even scholarships for people who are good in sports? Do parents even encourage their children to participate in other things such as music, sports, etc? Are there even enough facilities? In Lagos, there are two stadiums…OK good, are the facilities in these stadiums up to date, state of the art facilities? Most of these athletes have personal trainers who train them, they have people who help monitor their diet, and many are also sponsored by several companies too.
Many of the comments on my facebook post were by people who felt the government might not be totally blamed for our inability to produce medals and that we as individuals still have a role to play. As much as I agree, I will not subscribe to my brother jogging from Ojodu to Allen when I cannot guarantee his safety, in my own opinion; the government has a LARGE role to play. A role in making the community we live in safe, a role in encouraging and supporting our youths, a role in providing up-to-date facilities and amenities, a role in ACTING and PLAYING the part.
PHE education in schools should be more than just playing “ten-ten”; many of the people who represented the US were mostly young people, mostly within the 16-28 age brackets I believe, imagine Michael Phelps retiring at 27 (he’s been to 4 Olympics meaning he went to his first at age 15).  I could go on and on but will anything be done? What measures have been put in place to dig out these talents from wherever they might be hiding? What steps are being taken to sustain the careers of these athletes?
I sigh heavily as I write this while I hope and believe NIGERIA will rise to her potentials in my life time.
…to be continued.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ciao!

3 comments:

  1. Mide, as much as I agree with you, I also feel we can do the little we can. As Nigerian youths, what can we do to help ourselves since the government isn't helping? Should we just sit n keep complaining or can we make baby steps to right the wrong that has been done to us? I believe with a change of attitude, we can make a difference. Don't take that bribe, don't give up when u can't find a job. Think! What else can u do? Every one is talented! Think! Change ur attitude! Change the mentality.........that's the way forward. The ripple effect of individual changes will make a difference! My tots n opinion

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  2. Uju very very well said! I definitely agree with your comment...please see the concluding part of my post "still on this Olympics matter", I made some suggestions on what can be done. God help us all!

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