Akosa Fumes: Our Beijing Preparations Was Faulty!Akosa Fumes: Our Beijing Preparations Was Faulty!By ADEOLU JOHNSON
Confederation of African Football (CAF) instructor, Austin Akosa has given the country low marks for our athletes' performance at the just concluded Beijing Olympic Games.
Akosa argued that the athletes would have performed better than they did in Beijing if preparations had started long enough.
He cited the likes of Christine Ohuruogu and Phillips Idowu who represented and won gold and silver medals for Great Britain as a case study.
“Their preparation did not start overnight. It was long years of preparation of over two years or more,” he began.
“When you are preparing for such Games, you accommodate, feed the players, pay them their allowances and expose them to training tours. And all these gulp a lot of money,” he added.
The respected sports administrator said sports has gone beyond mere social service adding that it is an international instrument of building relations with other countries.
He however wondered why the Sports Minister first asserted that we may not be there if the need arises.
“It is discouraging if somebody says we should not go. I know by the time the person comes back he would have a change of heart”
“Look at some Heads of States who were present at the Olympics to cheer their athletes. That shows the importance they attach to the Games,” he explained.
Akosa against this backdrop, advised the sports authorities to come out with a policy and blueprint to adhere strictly to if the country must take its pride of place in international sports.
“We need a rethink. Let the sports authorities sit down now and begin the preparations for the next Olympics in London in 2012,” he said.
Akosa explained that the government should appoint those who have maximum interest in sports to run it and not just anybody.
“Imagine we have a national association that cannot even sponsor a relay team to represent the country at international competitions. Look now the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) everybody always accuses has turned out to be the best amongst all the sports federations.
“The fact that the NFF sent the Under 23 team to a competition in Malaysia really paid off for the Dream Team IV,” he added.
Akosa pointed that sports is all about money and that if government does not support it with the required sum the country's athletes would continue to defect to other countries.
He buttressed this with the CAF Champions League trophy that remained elusive to the country for over three decades until former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu came to the rescue.
“Kalu was able to do it because he pumped in money and at the end of it, Enyimba won it for two consecutive years,” he said.
Akosa however saluted the dream team and its coaching crew for winning silver medal at the Beijing Games.
He posited that with the performance, the country has the potentials with which it can rule the world at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
He commended the boys for exhibiting great commitment and discipline throughout the competition in Beijing.
“This is the first time a team did not argue over what they wanted as match bonus and this shows that they were led by a disciplined coach,” he added.
The CAF official however urged Nigerians to thank Adamu for assisting the team when every hope seemed lost in terms of funds.
“It was Adamu that personally took over the team when the NFF complained of lack of funds from the Presidency,” he concluded.
|
|
|
|
|
|
