Nigeria’s 19th appearance at the Olympic Games ended in disappointment as the nation failed to secure any medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Despite high expectations following a silver and bronze medal haul at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and an extensive N9 billion budget, the 88 athletes representing Nigeria across 12 sports left Paris empty-handed.
This marks Nigeria’s worst Olympic performance since the London 2012 Games, with top medal hopefuls like Tobi Amusan, Blessing Oborududu, Favour Ofili, Ese Brume, and Quadri Aruna all falling short in their respective events. The campaign was marred by controversies, including Ofili’s exclusion from the women’s 100m roster despite her qualification and a kitting crisis that saw athletes supplied with two separate kits by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the National Olympic Committee.
Hannah Reuben, the last athlete with a chance to secure a medal, was defeated in the second round of the women’s freestyle wrestling 76 kg event by Mongolia’s Davaanasan Amar Enkh. The only bright spot for Nigeria was the D’Tigress basketball team, who, under the leadership of coach Rena Wakama, made history by becoming the first African team to reach the quarterfinals of the Women’s Basketball Tournament. Despite losing 88-74 to the USA, the team’s spirited performance in the last quarter was a highlight of Nigeria’s otherwise bleak Olympic campaign.
The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, expressed his frustration with the results, vowing to overhaul the leadership of various sports federations. Enoh noted the upcoming Federation elections as an opportunity to elect leaders who can drive excellence in Nigerian sports. Meanwhile, interim Nigeria Boxing Federation President Azania Omo-Agege has called for an investigation into the federation’s activities, following the controversies and poor performance in Paris.
