While it is saddening that Nigeria performed far below her inherent potentials at this Olympic festival, the Nigerian contingent satisfied the most important and fundamental aspect of the Olympic Games, the joy of participation in the Games in the spirit of olympism and the Nigerian Athletes conducted themselves well as international athletes that they are .
Medals are important and very desirable for any country and for the Athletes but the aim of reviving the ancient Greek festival and founding of the modern International Olympic Games by the legendary Baron. Pierre De Coubertin some 128 years ago
still remains to bring the World together in one place competing in peace ,friendship,joy and human solidarity .
One can only imagine the quantum of life long friendships that were generated during the two week long Paris Olympiad.
It has surely made the World a better place.
For the Nigerian contingent of 162 people, simply means a minimum of 162 new friendship pages were opened across the globe further fostering international peace and understanding.
Any price for promoting peace and preventing conflicts is worth it.
Nigeria’s active participation at the Olympics is in furtherance of international peace and cooperation
It was a delight seeing an iranian Athlete wrestling an american Athlete at the Paris Olympics and hugging each other happily without reservation at the end of the duel irrespective of the outcome .
“A friendship that Sports cannot create does not exist”
Nigeria has satisfactorily fulfilled her obligations to the international Olympic movement , even though winning some medals would have simply been some good icing on the Olympic cake.
Nigeria definitely needs to re-strategize to return to international sporting reckoning .
We have all it takes to be a force in World Sports .
For the Paris Olympiad ,Nigeria and her Athletes have played the needful and rightful role well.
PJD Deshi
A former President, Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF )
pampel1212@gmail.com
