John Enoh, Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, has publicly apologized for the country’s underwhelming performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In a statement posted on his X account on Sunday, Enoh admitted that Team Nigeria’s results “fell short of expectations,” noting that this is the first time since 2012 that Nigeria has failed to win any Olympic medals.
Nigeria sent over 80 athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the team encountered several issues, including administrative lapses and poor technical decisions, which contributed to their disappointing performance.
Enoh, who took office in August 2023, pointed out that he was immediately faced with the challenge of managing preparations for four major international events: the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the African Games, the Olympic Games, and the Paralympic Games. He revealed that when he started, there had been no preparation work for the Olympics, despite the event being less than a year away.
“In August 2023, when I assumed the role of Minister of Sports Development, I was tasked with overseeing four major international competitions,” Enoh stated. “I had in-depth discussions with the Ministry’s management team and discovered that preparations for the Olympics, which were imminent, had not yet begun.”
Enoh stressed that his primary objective was to uphold Nigeria’s reputation in international sports and to match or exceed the country’s performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. To achieve this, he implemented a strategic approach, including requesting detailed plans and programs from all National Sports Federations. He also conducted a nationwide inspection of sports facilities and established the Ministerial Podium Performance Advisory Committee to oversee preparations.
Despite these initiatives, Enoh acknowledged that Nigeria’s preparations for the Paris Olympics were limited to federations with strong qualifying prospects. He criticized these federations for focusing more on securing qualifications rather than on comprehensive preparation, noting that they “resisted and defended” their selections even in the face of complaints.
“Following the African Games, meetings were restricted to Federations with promising chances of qualifying for the Olympics. While medal projections were made by these Federations, their athletes were still in the qualification phase, which continued until around June 2024. These Federations clearly prioritized qualification over thorough preparation for the Games, a practice that needs to change,” Enoh remarked.
Reflecting on the overall outcome, Enoh was candid in his assessment, previously labeling Team Nigeria’s performance at the 2024 Olympics as a “disaster.” He assured the public that the sports ministry would conduct a comprehensive review of the failures at the Paris Olympics and strive to achieve a better performance at the upcoming Paralympics.
