INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

MANAGEMENT OF SPORTS AND NIGERIA’S
PERFORMANCE AT THE OLYMPICS
Ms Esther Oluwatoyin ALUKO (NGR)
INTRODUCTION
Sport has achieved an enviable status in Nigeria as it has become a
veritable means of uniting the different geo-political entities of the
nation. No moment is more fascinating to the entire nation than when
it is an international competition involving Nigeria and other countries
of the world.
Sport, the world over, has become a good weapon for international
diplomacy and an instrument for assessing the strength and cohesion
of each nation. Sport today, in all its ramification has cut across all
barriers (ethnic, religious, racial) and has served as a symbolic
dialogue in developing the citizens of the world. (Awosika, 1996).
Since circa 776 B.C, sport has served to bring the world together,
stop war, and open barriers often closed by geo-politics. Sport, if well
managed, can facilitate peace and understanding, create life-long
friendship, and bring nations together. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic
Games brought more nations (197) together on the field of
competition than the United Nations roll call, and Sydney 2000
continued this inclusive trend (Bucher and Krotee, 2002).
When a country defeats another in sport engagement, the winning
country is seen as a healthier nation, fit and even more powerful than
the losing country. By the same extension, the winning country’s
image is further boosted and revered among others. Some small
nations of the world today have been able to make their names known
globally through their sporting prowess. Sport as it relates to games
manifest at various levels, local, regional, national, continental and
global. The peak of it all is the Olympic Games which has grown over
the years to become the largest sporting event on the entire globe. For
centuries, the Olympic Games have remained and continue to be the
platform for striving for sport excellence by athletes all over the world
and a powerful unifying force for humanity. The Olympic Games
have survived all obstacles for many centuries since inception in the
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