Stop Fire Brigade Approach, Oke Warns Sports Ministry

A Nigerian triple jumper, Tosin Oke, has decried the fire brigade approach usually adopted by the sports ministry whenever Nigerian athletes are going for international competitions.

The sprinter, who broke the British Athletics League record with 17.05 metres in 2010 at Copthall, Hendon, made this remark as Nigeria prepares for next year’s 2012 London Olympic Games.

Oke, who won the 1999 European Junior Championships with a jump of 16.57 metres, said the sports ministry should get their act together, explaining that the Olympic Games call for adequate preparations.

“What Nigerians don’t know is that the Olympics is a different ball game entirely. It is sad that we are not seeing it like that in this country. You just can’t wake up one day and say you are going to the Olympics,” said Oke.

The African and Commonwealth champion argued that the Olympic Games take a serious country four years to prepare and not a few months which is the practice in the country.

“It takes many countries four years to prepare for the Olympic Games. We just go their without making adequate preparation. We are even lucky that we sometimes win a few medals whenever we participate at the games,” said Oke, who made a personal best jump of 17.22 metres at the 2010 African Championships in Nairobi.

Oke won a gold medal with a jump of 16.65 metres at the recently held 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.

—Bimbo Ajayi