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Tag: Tokyo 2020

  • My Tokyo 2020 Olympic story – Sports Minister reacts

    My Tokyo 2020 Olympic story – Sports Minister reacts

    Not wanting to add to the public distraction, I have deliberately waited until the end of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games before making any observations regarding the various reports on Nigeria’s participation in the quadrennial games.

    2. This was out of respect for our athletes who had committed so much effort and made such considerable personal sacrifice in order to represent our nation as best as they could. Overall, we should be proud of Team Nigeria and the effort they made. The bottom line is that these games should always be about the athletes and the spirit of friendly competition and excellence the Olympics are meant to engender.

    3. Sadly, some people seem not to have embraced either the good cause of our national athletic pursuits or the collegial and noble spirit that the Olympics promote.

    4. The rancour and confusion some people seem intent on sowing are terribly out of place given the impressive performance of our team and good spirit with which they performed. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are now over, which means we can begin to honestly and objectively assess what was accomplished as well as what we must do to improve performance for future contests.

    5. Nigeria succeeded with two (2) medals – a silver in wrestling won by Blessing Oborodudu and a bronze in long jump won by Ese Brume. Their performances were inspiring for they affirmed we can and should compete at the highest levels across the full range of sports events. Yes, we had wished and worked for more medals. But we must also put things in perspective. The medal outcome at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stands as Nigeria’s best result in the last 13 years.

    6. Moreover, the athletes of Team Nigeria did their nation proud. Many of them reached the finals of their respective sports and, competing with all they had, were in contention for medals until the final moment. Any one who saw their efforts would have nothing but the utmost respect for them, their coaches and all the technical staff that made Tokyo possible.

    7. I thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his unrelenting support for Sports and Youth development and indeed for the opportunity to serve and lead our participation at these games. Team Nigeria placed 74th position on the final Olympic medal table among 205 participating countries, despite our small contingent to the games. We were 8th among 52 African countries that participated. Team Nigeria excelled in many areas that engender hope for greater success in the future.

    8. Nigeria had five Olympic finalists in 100 meters Hurdles Women, Short Put, Long jump, Wrestling and 100 meters men. Team Nigeria broke the 13 year old jinx of no medal in Long jump and 25 years of no finalist in the men’s 100 meters, and secured a medal in wrestling for the very first time. Overall, our performance was good and more importantly it is headed in the right direction.

    9. While the general trends and overall performance was positive, I must mention two unfortunate incidents that occurred.

    10. First is the mishap resulting in 10 Team Nigeria athletes being ruled ineligible to compete for missing their mandatory Out of Competition Test, OTC. When notice of this ruling got to me, I immediately mobilized my team and the AFN leadership to see how the situation could be salvaged. We mounted a vigorous appeal process with Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU and had the team members complete the tests. However, timing became the critical issue . Despite our energetic appeal, the deciding committee made its announcement which gave no latitude to our team members for what was only an inadvertent lapse.

    11. The adverse decision was painful to accept. We had prepared carefully and eagerly for the Olympics with the expectation that each person, federation, coach and athlete would also complete the necessary preparations required of them. As Minister, I ensured that all necessary approvals were done so that all requisite tests and exams could be timely completed. For me this unfortunate incident is most painful because these athletes had prepared long and hard and also in view of the challenging circumstances due to COVID-19.

    12. As the Minister I must bear some institutional responsibility for this lapse. I also had to depend and expect that each person in the long and often technical chain will perform their role expeditiously and with precision. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line someone failed in their responsibility and as Minister I bear the responsibility and brunt of criticsm. But that is not enough. I must move to ensure that Nigeria never experiences another such moment. I have ordered a full investigation that will not only uncover what happened, but will also, recommend a process where such lapses can never occur in the future and initiate leveraging compliance monitoring technology to guardrail this.

    13. I have personally apologized to the affected athletes. Here and now, I personally apologize to all Nigerians for this ineligibility episode. The AFN has also taken responsibility and apologized to the athletes and to Nigerians.

    14. Already, a new Medical and Anti-Doping Commission has been set up to establish a fool proof system of testing and ensure Nigeria exits the A Categorization by WADA.
    Also,Blessing Okagbare remains one of our best athletes who has served Nigeria well. We emphatize with her. Nigeria will monitor closely developments around her temporary suspension and appeal.

    15. The second issue had to do with the apparel provided for the team.

    16. The Ministry’s responsibility and that of the 38 National Sporting Federations, NSFs of kitting are well spelt out. The production of general wears for Team Nigeria is always the responsibility of the Ministry of Youth and Sport Development. Procurement for the Competition Wear is the responsibility of the respective federations because of the fact that each sport requires specialized outfits. Boxing, Wrestling, Atheletics and each of the federations need different gears. The Ministry provides budgetary support to the federations.

    17. The quantity of competition wears given to each athlete is the decision of the particular federation. No complaints came to my notice until the Tik Tok Video posted by one of the athletes went viral. We Immediately stepped in to manage the situation. The Federation involved has been directed to provide a detailed explanation about the kit.

    18. Team Nigeria was properly kitted for the games with a 9-item back pack using a local manufacturer in harmony with President Buhari’s policy on local content.

    19. Before any federation which is a component of Team Nigeria however wears any brand, it must refer to the Ministry and the NOC for clearance and approval. The Ministry and NOC must be fully aware of the contract details by the Federation to protect the rights and freedoms of the athletes and ensure Nigeria’s interests are protected. In this situation, the Ministry wishes to state that the contractual arrangement between AFN and Puma prior to the Olympic Games has generated a lot of controversy between the former President of the Federation and the former Board members. I will not want to go into too much details on this issue because it is sub judice. Suffice it to say that the Ministry was not part of the agreement. The Tik Tok video on the issue was an attempt to create a media frenzy to embarrass Nigeria.

    20. Following from the above, the issue relating to the competition wears vis a vis the alleged arrangement with Puma is most unfortunate. I have demanded a proper investigation into this matter. Such an inquiry will unearth the truth about how some people tried to sabotage Nigeria’s participation and undermine the country and our Olympic athletes.

    21. On assumption of office as Minister of Youth and Sports 2 years ago, I began a gradual reformation of the National Sports Federations, NSFs. For years, a few of these federations were very badly run. These reforms will take time. There already is and will be stiff resistance from some quarters, which is what we are witnessing now. But we are resolute to establish better sport’s management, a legacy President Muhammadu Buhari is desirous of bequeathing to our sports development.

    22. There is much to hope for the future. In Tokyo, Most of our athletes were young and debutants – first time Olympians. They gave their all. If only we can support them in a sustained manner, they will give us future Olympic medals and raise high the flag of Nigeria at all venues of international sports competition. We have started building a new generation of Young Nigerian athletes who will benefit immensely from the Nigerian Sports Industry Policy which will be placed before the Federal Executive Council for approval shortly. This policy will unleash the economic potential of our sports sector following President Buhari’s reclassification of sports as a business, away from recreation. This will be the foundation for sustained sector growth and maximization of our human resources.

    23. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics experience will move and challenge me to push our sports to a higher level and seek a better condition for all our athletes.

    24. Team Nigeria went to Tokyo 2020 and competed against the best in the world. Two Olympics medals and a statistical performance that has a place in the history of our Olympic participation despite being one of our smallest contingents. We can perform even much better if we alI hold onto the lessons learnt.

    25. I remain grateful to all the athletes that so represented Nigeria well.

     

    Sunday Dare

    Minister of Youth and Sports Development

    Abuja, August 9, 2021

  • [See standings] U.S top medal table for third successive Olympic Games

    [See standings] U.S top medal table for third successive Olympic Games

    The U.S topped the Olympics medals table for the third successive time after ending the Tokyo Games on Sunday with a best 39 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze medals.

    American highlights included veteran Alysson Felix winning a gold medal in the 4×400 metres relay and a bronze medal individually to become their most decorated track athlete of all-time.

    In the pool, they also had massive success.

    This was through freestyle stars Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky, though she was beaten by upcoming Australian Ariarne Titmus in a couple of the shorter races.

    China, hosts of the Winter Games in 2022, were second in the table with a 38-32-18 tally while hosts Japan set a national record of 27-14-17.

    Great Britain had its least successful Games since Beijing 2008 but was still the top European nation on 22-21-22.

    The Russian team —— officially competing as neutrals due to a doping ban were fifth on 20-28-23.

    At the other end of the scale, minnows San Marino could celebrate an astonishing three-medal haul (0-1-2) from a delegation containing only five athletes.

    Burkina Faso had its first-ever Olympic medallist through triple jumper Hugues Fabrice Zango.

    Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
    1 United States 39 41 33 113
    2 China 38 32 18 88
    3 Japan 27 14 17 58
    4 Great Britain 22 21 22 65
    5 ROC 20 28 23 71
    6 Australia 17 7 22 46
    7 Netherlands 10 12 14 36
    8 France 10 12 11 33
    9 Germany 10 11 16 37
    10 Italy 10 10 20 40
    11 Canada 7 6 11 24
    12 Brazil 7 6 8 21
    13 New Zealand 7 6 7 20
    14 Cuba 7 3 5 15
    15 Hungary 6 7 7 20
    16 South Korea 6 4 10 20
    17 Poland 4 5 5 14
    18 Czech Republic 4 4 3 11
    19 Kenya 4 4 2 10
    20 Norway 4 2 2 8
    21 Jamaica 4 1 4 9
    22 Spain 3 8 6 17
    23 Sweden 3 6 0 9
    24 Switzerland 3 4 6 13
    25 Denmark 3 4 4 11
    26 Croatia 3 3 2 8
    27 Iran 3 2 2 7
    28 Belgium 3 1 3 7
    29 Bulgaria 3 1 2 6
    30 Slovenia 3 1 1 5
    31 Uzbekistan 3 0 2 5
    32 Georgia 2 5 1 8
    33 Chinese Taipei 2 4 6 12
    34 Turkey 2 2 9 13
    35 Serbia 2 1 5 8
    36 Uganda 2 1 1 4
    37 Ecuador 2 1 0 3
    38 Ireland 2 0 2 4
    38 Israel 2 0 2 4
    40 Greece 2 0 1 3
    40 Qatar 2 0 1 3
    42 Bahamas 2 0 0 2
    42 Kosovo 2 0 0 2
    44 Ukraine 1 6 12 19
    45 Belarus 1 3 3 7
    46 Romania 1 3 0 4
    46 Venezuela 1 3 0 4
    48 India 1 2 4 7
    49 Hong Kong 1 2 3 6
    50 Philippines 1 2 1 4
    50 Slovakia 1 2 1 4
    52 South Africa 1 2 0 3
    53 Austria 1 1 5 7
    54 Egypt 1 1 4 6
    55 Indonesia 1 1 3 5
    56 Ethiopia 1 1 2 4
    56 Portugal 1 1 2 4
    58 Tunisia 1 1 0 2
    59 Estonia 1 0 1 2
    59 Fiji 1 0 1 2
    59 Latvia 1 0 1 2
    59 Thailand 1 0 1 2
    63 Bermuda 1 0 0 1
    63 Morocco 1 0 0 1
    63 Puerto Rico 1 0 0 1
    66 Colombia 0 4 1 5
    67 Azerbaijan 0 3 4 7
    68 Dominican Republic 0 3 2 5
    69 Armenia 0 2 2 4
    70 Kyrgyzstan 0 2 1 3
    71 Mongolia 0 1 3 4
    72 Argentina 0 1 2 3
    72 San Marino 0 1 2 3
    74 Jordan 0 1 1 2
    74 Malaysia 0 1 1 2
    74 Nigeria 0 1 1 2
    77 Bahrain 0 1 0 1
    77 Saudi Arabia 0 1 0 1
    77 Lithuania 0 1 0 1
    77 North Macedonia 0 1 0 1
    77 Namibia 0 1 0 1
    77 Turkmenistan 0 1 0 1
    83 Kazakhstan 0 0 8 8
    84 Mexico 0 0 4 4
    85 Finland 0 0 2 2
    86 Botswana 0 0 1 1
    86 Burkina Faso 0 0 1 1
    86 Ivory Coast 0 0 1 1
    86 Ghana 0 0 1 1
    86 Grenada 0 0 1 1
    86 Kuwait 0 0 1 1
    86 Moldova 0 0 1 1
    86 Syria 0 0 1 1
  • U.S thrash Serbia to reach Tokyo Olympics women’s basketball final

    U.S thrash Serbia to reach Tokyo Olympics women’s basketball final

    A relieved U.S had no difficulty in thrashing Serbia 79-59 on Friday to reach the final of women’s basketball event at the Tokyo Games.

    The victory helped them to maintain their long unbeaten streak at the Olympics.

    The U.S have won eight of nine Olympic gold medals available since 1984 and are unbeaten at the Games since the last of their three losses came in 1992.

    They will target a seventh straight gold medal, which would equal the men’s best Olympic streak, in Saturday’s final against Japan after the hosts beat France 87-71.

    Serbia never looked like causing an upset and were effectively beaten by the end of a first quarter they trailed by 13 points.

    From then the U.S controlled matters and coasted through.

    Brittney Griner led them in scoring with 15 points, a tally matched by U.S-born Yvonne Anderson playing for Serbia.

    But with no teammate also reaching double figures, Anderson did not have the support offered by U.S players Chelsea Gray and Breanna Stewart as her lonely resistance fell short.

    A victory in the final for the U.S would give Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi their fifth gold medals —— the most ever in Olympic basketball.

    “I think everybody here wants to win gold for them, for us, for everybody that’s started this streak that got us here,” Griner said.

    Japan prevailed over the French with Himawari Akaho top-scoring with 17 points.

    France led 22-14 after the first quarter but the hosts stormed back in the next two.

    It meant they were able to ease off a little and save some energy in the final quarter with the Americans waiting.

    The French will take on Serbia for bronze also on Saturday in Saitama.

    The Serbians also finished third in Rio.

  • Women’s Olympic marathon brought forward due to heat

    Women’s Olympic marathon brought forward due to heat

    Saturday’s women’s Olympic marathon at the Tokyo Games has been brought forward an hour to a 6. 00 a.m. (2100 GMT Friday) start in order to protect runners from the heat, organisers have said.

    The move was made on the advice of the medical commission of the governing World Athletics.

    Marathons and the race walks at the Games were taken out of Tokyo to Sapporo, some 700 kilometres north of the Japanese capital, order to avoid searing temperatures.

    However, athletes in Friday’s race walks still competed in heat of over 30 degree Celsius.

    Temperatures at the start of the women’s marathon are still expected to be around a testing 25 degrees.

    The men’s marathon on Sunday currently retains its original start time of 7.00 a.m.

  • Tokyo rallies for immediate Olympics suspension as COVID-19 surge

    Citizens of Tokyo on Thursday held a rally demanding the immediate suspension of Olympic Games as COVID-19 infections surge to a record high.

    Tokyo authorities announced earlier that the number of daily new COVID-19 cases exceeded 5,000, hitting the record since the pandemic outbreak.

    Countrywide, cases are also on the rise. On Thursday, Japan set a new record of over 15,000 daily COVID-19 infections, breaking the previous record of 14,200 cases that was registered only a day earlier.

    Protesters, holding loudspeakers and self-made posters, gathered next to the Olympic stadium, urging the authorities to stop the competitions immediately.

    For the first time since the Olympics kicked off on July 23, the Japanese police had to contain protesters by sealing off area in front of stadium entrance and not letting in people without athletic accreditation.

    Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Japanese government introduced a regime of enhanced anti-coronavirus measures in Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Hyogo, Kyoto and Fukuoka for the period between Aug. 2-31, and also declared a state of emergency in Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Osaka.

  • Tokyo 2020: Team Nigeria occupy 64th position on medals table

    Tokyo 2020: Team Nigeria occupy 64th position on medals table

    Team Nigeria are now 64th on the medals table, as the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan enters Day 11.

    Ese Brume won the country’s first medal, clinching bronze in the long jump.

    The 25-year-old recorded a jump of 6.97m in the final.

    Brume finished behind America’s Brittney Reese and Malaika Mihambo of Germany.

    Blessing Obodururu then gave Nigeria a silver medal in the women’s freestyle 68kg event on Tuesday.

    She lost 1-4 in the final to Tamyra Mensah-Stock of the U.S, who had defeated her three times earlier.

    The Federal Government had already announced a reward of $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500 for gold, silver, and bronze medalists respectively at the Tokyo Olympics.

    China lead the medals table with 32 gold, followed by United States, 24; Japan, 19; and Australia 14.

  • Tokyo 2020: Brazil set up Olympics final with Spain

    Tokyo 2020: Brazil set up Olympics final with Spain

    Brazil reached back-to-back men’s Olympic football finals following a penalty shootout victory over Mexico.

    The defending champions won 4-1 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in Kashima.

    Brazil goalkeeper Santos saved from Eduardo Aguirre in the shootout before Johan Vasquez hit the post with Mexico’s second penalty.

    They will play Spain in Saturday’s gold medal match.

    Dani Alves, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, Bruno Guimaraes and Reinier all scored their spot-kicks for Brazil.

    It looked like the second semi-final was heading for penalties until Marco Asensio scored in the 115th minute in Saitama.

    The Real Madrid winger came off the bench to score the winning goal with a superb curling strike from inside the box to send Spain to a first Olympic final since they finished runners-up at the 2000 Games in Sydney.

  • Tokyo 2020: FG to reward gold medalists with $15,000

    Tokyo 2020: FG to reward gold medalists with $15,000

    The Federal Government has announced a reward of 15, 000 dollars, 10,000 dollars, 7,500 dollars for gold, silver and bronze medalists at the Tokyo Olympics.

    Simon Ebohdjaiye, Director, Federation and Elite Athletes Department (FEAD), Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development said this on Tuesday in Tokyo.

    Ebohdjaiye made the announcement shortly after wrestler Blessing Oborodudu won Team Nigeria’s second medal at the Games.

    He said the reward was an upward review from the initial amount announced due to the dedication of the athletes.

    “Gold medallist will now be rewarded with 15,000 dollars, while silver and bronze medal winners will each get 10,000 dollars and 7,500 dollars respectively.

    “The earlier award is 5,000 dollars for gold, 3,000 dollars for silver and 2,000 dollars for bronze,” he said.

    The Director said the gesture was to drive home the point that the Federal Government would always reward superlative performance.

    Blessing Oborodudu made history as the first Nigerian wrestler to win an Olympic medal courtesy of the silver medal she won in the women’s 68kg freestyle and will now get 10,000 dollars for her efforts.

    Long jumper, Ese Brume, who won Nigeria’s first medal at the Games with a bronze will get 7,500 dollars.

    Her medal is the first won in track and field since 2008 at the Beijing Olympics where Blessing Okagbare and the women’s 4x100m relay team won a silver medal each.

    NAN reports that there are still three Nigerians left in the Wrestling event led by world number one in her category Odunayo Adekuruoye.

    Also within the medal range is Chukwuebuka Enekwechi who will be competing in the men’s Shot Put final on Thursday.

  • Team Nigeria’s George out of women’s 400m, as Felix eyes honour

    Team Nigeria’s George out of women’s 400m, as Felix eyes honour

    Team Nigeria’s Patience George dropped out of reckoning in the women’s 400 metres event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics losing in the round one heats on Tuesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that George, who ran in heat 1 of the event at the Olympic Stadium, placed last with a time of 52.41 seconds.

    The 29-year-old Rio 2016 Games semi-finalist, with 52.52, could just not give it as she stayed behind the pack and unable to mount a challenge.

    She would now probably be considering giving up on an individual medal in the event, having not been able to run below 51 seconds in the event in the last five years.

    Her best in recent times has been the 50.76 she did in Beijing in 2015.

    George should now be looking forward to competing successfully in the women’s 4 x 100m relay and 4 x 400m relay.

    Meanwhile, American Allyson Felix is on track to become the most decorated female Olympic track and field athlete.

    Felix qualified for the women’s 400m semi-finals first in her heat, posting a time of 50.84 seconds.

    The 35-year-old is hoping to add to the six gold and three silver medals she already holds from four previous Games.

    This was after having qualified for the 400m and being chosen for the American women’s 4x400m relay team.

  • Tokyo Olympics: Brazil end Egypt’s campaign in men’s football

    Tokyo Olympics: Brazil end Egypt’s campaign in men’s football

    Egypt have been eliminated from the Tokyo Olympic Games men’s football event after going down by a lone goal to defending champions Brazil at the Saitama Stadium on Saturday.

    The African representatives had qualified for the quarter-finals after an impressive 2-0 win against Australia in their final Group C game.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Matheus Cunha scored the goal which gave Brazil the slim win and ended African teams’ participation in the global competition.

    Egypt’s well-organised defence managed to keep Brazil at bay in the opening minutes.

    When the South Americans, who were enjoying possession, attempted to make forward runs, they met a well-drilled Egyptian backline.

    In the sixth minute, Brazil won a corner-kick after Diego Carlos spotted Dani Alves on the flank and the former Sevilla full-back floated a cross for Richarlison

    Egypt’s Mohamed El Shenawy tipped the ball over the bar.

    Egypt registered the first shot on goal in the 13th minute after Brazil struggled to clear Karim El Eraki’s cross, giving Akram Tawfik a chance to head just wide of Santos’ far post.

    A good combination between Cunha and Richarlison almost gave Brazil an opener in the 29th minute, but El Shenawy was alert to make a save from the latter’s deflected shot.

    Richarlison made his way from the left flank before he passed the ball to Cunha, who was at the edge of the box and whose blocked cross landed on Douglas Luiz’s path.

    But the latter could not find the back of the net from a promising position in the 34th minute.

    Brazil finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when they engineered a counter-attack.

    Richarlison sped towards Egypt’s goal and passed the ball to Cunha, who managed to find the bottom corner with a low strike.

    Egypt were caught off guard as they pleaded for a dismissed penalty kick call and this gave Brazil a chance to counter-attack and score the opener.

    The South Americans almost doubled the lead in the 48th minute when Cunha found himself through on goal.

    But Egypt were saved by El Shenawy, who was quick to close in on his opponent and blocked the ball with his face.

    The African side made changes two minutes after the hour mark as Nasser Maher and Emam Ashour replaced Ahmed Rayan and El Eraki.

    Three minutes later, Malcolm and Reinier were brought on to replace Antony and Claudinho for Brazil.

    The changes looked to have re-energised Egypt who enjoyed more possession a few minutes after and almost grabbed an equaliser in the 73rd minute.

    After a good cross to him, Taher Mohamed attempted to lift the ball across Brazil’s goal but the opponents reacted quickly to clear the danger.

    Egypt came close to getting an equaliser again in the 87th minute when Akram Tawfik was left unmarked at the far post.

    The forward collected a free-kick ball and knocked it down, but Brazil cleared it as he was about to pull the trigger.

    With the elimination of Egypt as well as Cote d’I voire earlier on Saturday, Africa’s campaign in the men’s football event of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is over.