Nigerian Boxing And Its Atrocious Part
As we reflect on team Nigeria’s abysmal performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, it’s important that we highlight some of the reasons behind Nigeria’s worst outing in the history of the games.
The rot in the Nigeria Boxing Federation reached an all time high as the country prepares for the Paris Olympics. Board members, purported coaches, and other officials turned against each other as they deviously lobby to have their names on the list to Paris.
In the wake of this imbroglio, with less than a week to the commencement of the games, the very experienced national coach Anthony Konyegwachie was removed and replaced with a former pugilists Adura Olaleyin, who was at the time a sparring partner to the boxers.
Adura, with the believe that he could exhibit his knavery ways at the global stage, and desperate to justify his place as the team’s head coach opted for a more wily part by introducing his boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore to the use of “furosemide”, a banned substance that is classed as a diuretic and masking agent.
With less than 48 hours to Cynthia’s Olympics debut against China’s Shih Yi Wu in the women’s 60kg lightweight, the result of her sample collected by the International Testing Agency (ITA) returned positive and she was thrown out of the olympics for the use of drugs.
The incident projected Nigeria negatively during and after the Paris2024 Olympics. Till date, the stigma is yet to be lifted on the nation as several international news outlets still made reference to the incident in their reports around the Olympics.
According to our source in the Nigeria Boxing Federation, the suspended pugilists Cynthia Ogunsemilore has since confided in her friends and relatives on how Adura Olaleyin influenced her negatively before and during the Olympics.
Cynthia further opens up on how coach Adura disassociate himself from her after the incident and threatened her not to speak of anything that could incriminate him in the matter.
Since the Paris2024 Olympics, the Nigerian authorities has been silent on the matter despite the widespread negativity it brought on the country. As at today, the key culprits including Adura Olaleyin, are still members of the Nigeria Boxing Federation.
As the nation builds up to another sports federations elections, it’s important that the National Sports Commission under the leadership of Hon. Shehu Dikko as Chairman, and Hon. Bukola Olopade as the Director General seize the opportunity to rid Nigerian sports of knaves and inept in the respective sports Federations.
