LONDON 2012: NO MAGIC 'LL SAVE NIGERIA – AJUNWA

Except Nigerian sports administrators change the idea of preparing late for any major sporting event, it would still take some years before the nation would make any major impact in the sporting world, says the first Olympic gold medallist in Nigeria, Chioma Ajunwa.

Ajunwa, who is disturbed that few months to the kick-off of the London 2012 Olympics, Nigeria is not ready for the event, said that no magic would save the country in London.

She, however, opined that the inability of the Super Falcons to qualify for the Games in London and the All Africa Games, was the handiwork of God and warning that Nigerians should learn to do things right.

'I'm very disturbed the way things are going in our sports. We have been relying on miracle to succeed in championships, but we have always been disappointed. Unfortunately, we have not learnt from our mistakes. Each time we failed at any competition, we hear that we would go back to the drawing table, yet nothing has come out of it,' Ajunwa complained.

'Nigerians are magicians, year in and year out, when other countries are busy preparing for any competition, we will be busy doing other things and when the event is at the door, that is when we will start our own preparation. But that has never helped us.

'Since we have concluded that we will not work when others are working, we will continue to have setbacks in our sports. Many countries that value Olympics started preparing for the 2012 Games about two to three years ago, but we are waiting when it would be remaining few months to the competition before we will start our own preparation, while hoping to upset every other country that comes for the Games in London on the medals table. It is not possible.

'On the dwindling fortune of our football, I am not happy that things are going so bad. But if we can learn from those series of failures, then we can rise again. But for our female team not qualifying for the Olympics, I see it as the hand of God and also, a warning that we should not take things for granted.

'Early preparation is the key to success in any competition,' she concluded.