By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (August 12^th 2021)

Success

There were 339 events dishing out medals in the recently concluded 32^nd Modern Olympiad in Tokyo. Africa has over a quarter of the countries in the world, but it won a measly 37 of the 1080 medals on offer – some extra medals were awarded. That is 3.43% which is considerably below the total in Rio de Janeiro just 5 years ago. Eleven of the 340 – the Men’s high Jump title was shared – gold medals awarded were to Africans. The total of gold medals is even worse, just 3.24%. There were great performances, but the statistics are not lying

Twenty world records were set at these Olympic Games. Three track cycling records: three shooting, one sport climbing in the Women’s speed event, six in swimming, three in track and field athletics and four in weightlifting – Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze set three in the Men’s over 240 lbs – in the snatch, clean and jerk and total, but received just one gold medal.

Only one of them was by an African, South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmacher in the women’s 200m breaststroke. However, Africa provided world beating athletes, especially in the long-distance athletics events.

Kenya’s great Marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge retained his Olympic title and is the current world record holder. He is only the third male Marathon runner to do so. Compatriot Peres Jipchichir won the Women’s Marathon. Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai made history in the 3000m Steeplechase becoming her country’s first female gold medallist. Almost half a century ago African legend, the late John Akii-Bua was the first Ugandan to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games.

Chemutai’s compatriot Joshua Cheptegei won gold in the 5000m and silver in the 10000m, which made him the first Ugandan to win two medals in one Olympiad. He lost the 10000m to Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega.

Feryal Abdelaziz became the first Egyptian to win a gold medal. She achieved this feat in the 61Kg Karate Kemutai, which made its debut at this Olympic Games. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon won gold in the 1500m, ending the Ethiopian born Sifan Hassan’s bid for three gold medals.

Tatjana Schoenmacher not only won South Africa’s only gold medal, but she also set a world record – the only world record an African set in Tokyo’s second Olympic Games (third in fact, as the cancelled Olympic Games of 1940 still counts). The 18-year-old Tunisian swimmer, Ahmed Hafnaoui, won gold in the 400m freestyle. Soufiane el Bakkali made history in the 3000m Steeplechase, becoming the first Moroccan to win an event usually dominated by Kenyans. The event produced a podium of Africans as Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma took silver and Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen won the bronze medal.

The great David Rudisha dominated the 800m in the last decade. He did not defend his title. Emmanuel Korir pipped compatriot Ferguson Rotich to produce a 1-2 for Kenya. Other notable performances included Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango winning bronze in the Men’s Triple Jump and Namibia’s Christine Mboma won silver in the 200m. Nigeria’s Ese Brume won bronze in the Women’s Long Jump. But Nigerian sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, made unwanted news. She was the first Nigerian sent home in disgrace after she tested positive for human growth hormone (HGH)

Performance

Of 13 boxing titles on offer – eight for men and five for women – only one of the 52 available medals, a bronze was won by an African, Ghana’s featherweight, Samuel Takyi. And as for football both male and female, the performances are far below Africa’s best.

The women have an excuse – only one nation qualified, Zambia, despite two entrants in the last two Olympiads. The heroics of their captain Barbra Banda, the first female footballer to score a hat-trick in two consecutive matches. The Netherlands, also making their debut boasted top scorer, Viviane Miedema, with ten – she scored four in the 10-3 drubbing of Zambia and a brace each in the other three matches that she played. In the men’s matches, both Egypt and la Côte d’Ivoire reached the quarter-final and South Africa went home early after failing to win a point.

In 1996 and 2000 Nigeria and then Cameroon won gold medals. And this raises a huge issue. African success in the Olympic Games comes in athletics most of all – football offers chances due to natural talent, but other sports?

Solutions

Success is sporadic they are not invested in. Without investment to develop facilities that can nurture talent, how can Africa expect to nurture and develop talent so it can compete. Meanwhile, wrestler Blessing Oborududu won silver, inspired by the President of Nigeria’s Wrestling Federation Daniel Igali – he won gold in 2000 but for Canada, having switched nationality in 1998. His return is welcome, but his victory was part of the exodus. How can he stop young Nigerians following in his footsteps.

The gap will get wider, and Africa will slip further and further behind in many sports. If it is slipping behind in athletics its bread and butter, what chance does it have in other sports?