3 months ago
37
Nigeria’s dismal performance in the boxing event of the Paris 2024 Olympics has been attributed to extensive infighting within the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) and inadequate preparation of the athletes, The PUNCH reports.
The stemmed from the time Azania Omo-Agege assumed the federation’s presidency following the suspension of former president Kenneth Minimah by the International Boxing Association.
Omo-Agege told our correspondent, “There is a lot of politics going on. Ever since I resumed office as the interim president on the instruction of the IBA, there has been a ceaseless tussle with General Minimah, who has refused to step down.”
This leadership tussle cascaded down to the coaching setup, with experienced coach Tony Konyegwachie controversially replaced by Adura Olalehin for the Olympics.
“To the best of my knowledge, Tony has not coached any athlete that has had any doping issue,” Omo-Agege said.
“All of a sudden, Adura from nowhere emerged as the one coaching our team at the Olympics chosen by the Secretary-General Dapo Akinyele.”
The controversy surrounding the coaching change stemmed from an incident at the African Championships in Douala, Cameroon. Omo-Agege explained, “IBA stated that 10 percent of the winnings of the boxers should go to the coach, while 20 percent goes to the federation, and the rest goes to the boxers. When they got paid in the camp, coach Tony then asked for his 10 percent, and the secretary took offence with that.”
The Technical Director of the NBF, Babatunde Laguda, questioned Olalehin’s credentials, stating, “He does not even have a training gym where he trains boxers. He was just approved under General Kenneth Minimah (retd.), who should no longer be the president based on a directive from the IBA.”
The preparation of the boxers also came under intense scrutiny. In a previous interview with The PUNCH, boxer Ifeanyi Onyekwere lamented, “The preparation was very bad. It was just one-week camp, with a lot of stress in it. After training, we would need to go do a police report, a medical report, and a lot of other things that cut into our time for rest.”
This sentiment was echoed by other boxers who participated in the Olympic qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand. Zainab Adeshina, who competed in the women’s 50kg category, told PUNCH, “There was no proper preparation, and then we did not have adequate equipment for training for this qualifier at all.”
However, Coach Olalehin defended the team’s performance, saying, “Everyone is saying we failed now, but same coach Tony took the team to multiple Olympics and they only won a medal in 1996, so how was this a poor outing when we had three qualified boxers and only one could compete?”
He added, “How many months were they in camp? I know what it takes for people to go to training camps. You need four years of preparation to win medals, and you need to spend money to get results.”
The doping issue that led to Cynthia Ogunsemilore’s disqualification further depleted the country’s medal hopes. Olalehin distanced himself from the incident, stating, “About the doping issue, my role is to ensure Cynthia gives her best; during the competition, I don’t interfere or meddle with her personal life.”
Omo-Agege called for a thorough investigation, saying, “The minister will plan an investigation into this; he was in camp with them; something happened somewhere; who gave them drinks; what were they taking that he was not aware of that led to the doping?”
The boxing failure at Paris 2024 is a stark contrast to Nigeria’s performance at the African Games in Ghana earlier this year, where the team won a record nine gold and one silver medal under the guidance of Coach Konyegwachie.
As stakeholders call for a complete overhaul of the federation’s leadership and coaching crew, the Minister of Sports is expected to launch a probe into the circumstances surrounding the team’s poor outing and the doping incident.
With only three boxers qualifying for the Olympics and just one able to compete due to the doping issue, the Paris 2024 boxing campaign marks a new low for Nigerian boxing, against the backdrop of the country not winning an Olympic medal since claiming bronze in the super heavyweight division in 1996.
Olaore, Nigeria’s last hope in the boxing event, crashed out of the Games after losing to Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay in the round of 16 of the men’s 92 kg heavyweight category.
English (US) ·