Three-time Olympian, Chika Chukwumerije is among Nigerians who were surprised by the result posted by Team Nigeria to the just-ended Rio Olympics in Brazil. The Beijing 2008 bronze medallist and three-time All Africa Games medallist (Abuja 2003, Algiers 2007 and Maputo 2011), in this online interview with Tribunesport’s GANIYU SALMAN, speaks on his experience as Team Nigeria’s captain to the London 2012 Olympics. A 2005 graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Chukwumerije also advices the sports authorities on the way forward for sports in Nigeria. The 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist who was inducted into the World Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2010, declared that no Nigerian taekwondoist made it to Rio 2016 because of poor coaching. Excerpts:
How was your experience when you captained Team Nigeria to London 2012 as flag-bearer?
I was the captain of Team Nigeria, not the flag bearer. The Commonwealth medallist, Nigeria Wrestling’s Sinivie Boltic, was the flag-bearer. For me, it was a huge honour to have captained Nigeria to the London 2012 Games.
What was the reaction like among the other athletes and officials when you were announced by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in the first instance?
I really cannot tell. This question is better answered by athletes and officials from that games.
What were some of the challenges you faced before and during the Games in London and how did you tackle them?
The challenges faced were trivial internal issues that were tackled through effective dialogue and good communication.
From experience, what were the roles expected of a Captain and what does it take to carry such roles out effectively?
The ability to listen and understand the people you are meant to serve and represent as captain. The ability to also listen and understand the position of the people who appointed you. Then the ability to serve as an effective bridge of communication between the two sides, whenever it is needed, which is always constantly.
On the one hand, the welfare of athletes is very important to performance. So if one puts that into the proper context, then you are sensitive to the physical, psychological, mental and physiological needs of the athletes. On the other hand, you realise that management approaches the games through other prisms – finance, administration, etc.
Are you disappointed that Nigeria finished with a medal (bronze) at the just-ended Rio 2016?
As a country, we did not deserve a single medal. I am elated that the athletes won a bronze, because they surpassed realistic expectations. I am gutted from my colleagues that did not win medal, because they know that they had individually worked so hard to do well at the games. If they had an all-round four-year support between 2012 and 2016, their chances of winning a medal would have been higher. The question should be, can we be ready for Tokyo, as we are already late in preparations for the next Olympic Games?
No Nigerian taekwondoist made it to Rio 2016, what do you think went wrong, more so, with the involvement of your pet project, CCSF?
My pet project, CCSF, had nothing to do with Nigeria’s preparations for Rio 2016. My team has an average age of 17 and hopefully will be contenders in Tokyo 2020. My pet project organises one of the best international tournaments in Africa. We organise high quality workshops and we give targeted scholarships to young taekwondo athletes in the FCT. We are more about adding value to young people’s lives that transcends winning medals.
For Rio 2016, their non-qualification only shows you how difficult it is to get to the Olympics. Talent is not enough. Team work is important. The team did not qualify because the wrong technical team took the athletes to the Olympics qualification tournament. It is as simple as that. The athletes were good enough to qualify. Nigeria let them down administratively. I am confident that Tokyo will be different.
What do you think is the way forward for Nigeria ahead of subsequent major championships?
Athletes need to train properly every single week with the right kind of equipment and in the right kind of infrastructure and training atmosphere. Thus, they will require committed, knowledge support personnel [administration, coaches, medical and media]. The athletes will need to compete in many international events to properly assess themselves against their international opponents, and improve their rankings.
The way forward is to take action to ensure the above is achieved. Action can start with carrying out an objective analysis in noting our lapses with regards to all the pillars mentioned [athletes, coaches, medical, administration]. The foundation on which all these pillars must lie is finance – whether it is from the government or from private organisation/ individuals.
What is your advice to Blessing Okagbare given the episode at Rio 2016 following her inability to even qualify for the 100m and 200m finals?
Blessing Okagbare has done very well for Nigeria. The country is proud of her and many Nigerians honour and appreciate her. That she qualified for her third straight Olympics is a fantastic feat. That she did not medal makes many of us sad. But this is the business of sports – you lose or win. In a sports like hers, it is either you are faster or not. This time, she was not. I am sure she knows where she should work on and does not need lectures on it. She has her coach and sports management team for that. So my advice is this – we do not always get what we want in and from life, but every event in life has a lesson for us. Take whatever lesson you can from this one and move on to winning other things, like you always do.
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