WASTED OPPORTUNITIES FOR OLYMPICS GOLD

 

I was thinking this morning.... As fireworks lit up the sky over the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, on July 23, 2021, I imagined that this must be the weirdest Olympics in history for two reasons. First, we are having the 2020 Olympics in 2021. Secondly, rather than being called the Tokyo olympics, many refer to it as the Covid Olympics, because it will largely be without fans due to Covid restrictions.

As the ceremony went underway, I was confident of a medal haul for Nigeria at the end of the games. My hope wasn't hinged on the recent performances of our male basketball team 'D'Tigers' neither was it on Long jumper Ese Brume nor wrestler Odunayo Adekuoroye who have been in excellent form going into the Olympics, but rather it was on the little mentioned recently acquired talents of Nigerians.

First, many Nigerians have recently taken to shooting as a passion, killing thousands of Nigerians in the process. With hours spent shooting, I was confident we will win the gold medal at the Olympics shooting event. 'Usai! Where were the bandits, kidnappers, BH militants and separatists when China's Yang Qian won the first gold of 10m air rifle final? Alas, Nigeria didn't even enter for that event. What a waste.

As I watched the swimming event kick off, I looked out for Nigerians from Niger Delta and saw none. With most of our riverine communities being submerged by waters from overflowing rivers, I expected that we should have mastered the art of living under water or as a minimum be amphibians, but no, we were not in swimming. Where was Nigeria when the 18yr old Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui won the Men's 400m freestyle? Nowhere. I reasoned that I may be watching the wrong event, Nigerians must be competing in rowing, canoeing or kayaking because that has been the major means of escaping the flooding in Lagos mainland and Lekki in recent years. Again, I was disappointed. Yet another glorious opportunity to win gold at the Covid Olympics lost.

As I switched the channel to weightlifting, I looked out for Nigerians but there were none because, as I later understood, our athletes failed to meet the qualifying standard. Wow! How is that possible? As a minimum, we should have fought for the creation of the 25kg, 50kg, 75kg and 100kg weightlifting category for male and female politicians. That would've been 8 cheap gold medals for Nigeria because our politicians have long toned their muscles carrying ghana-must-go filled with stolen money. Oh, what an opportunity missed.

As the Olympics round up in a week, so far our contigents are, like Peter in Acts 3:6, saying 'Silver and gold, I have none.' I understand because they gave their best for Nigeria and for that I say kudos. But for the human, economic and political bandits and kidnappers in Nigeria, don't waste that talent on evil, use it for good. Let your talent win us gold otherwise kill the evil.

Stay hopeful. God's got your back.

Happy Sunday.

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey