SEGUN ODEGBAMI: Sport in geo-politics at ‘The Platform’

I was connected ‘The Platform’ during the week successful Lagos, an intelligence signifier for nationalist presumption of presumption points and perspectives by invited speakers connected subjects with a communal taxable and of nationalist involvement and significance, a compass for those successful authorities and nine arsenic a whole. 

The Platform has go an yearly ‘pilgrimage’ for galore Nigerians, a must-follow programme that comes up each October 1, organised by Poju Oyemade, a elder pastor astatine the  ‘Covenant of Nations’ religion religion movement, headquartered successful Lagos. 

The irony is that spiritual issues are not connected the yearly menu. It, therefore, appeals to radical of each persuasions. 

I was a impermanent 7 years ago. Last week’s quality makes it my 2nd time. 

The 4-hr programme was masterclass of fantabulous papers presented by 6 invited speakers. It was followed by a sheet treatment during which each the speakers took questions selected from a collated database from a planetary watching audience, via technology. 

When it came to my turn, the elemental question asked threw maine disconnected guard. 

It was specified a large question that my reply would person conscionable crowned what I thought was good, a heavy excursion into the past of Nigeria astatine the Olympics during moments of geopolitics successful past that needed lone an icing connected the barroom to springiness it teeth. 

That portion was really missing. 

The interviewer had asked maine what options I could proffer too the illustration of ‘protest’ by African countries that I had advocated successful my lengthy presumption loaded with history, uncommon stories and references, but was abbreviated connected alternate answers. 

My effect should person been precise elemental and consecutive to the constituent – to triumph everything, and starring the remainder of Africa’ successful agreed beforehand to predominate the satellite of sports and to usage the powerfulness ‘generated’ to interruption done each barriers. 

Nigeria’s Afrobeats musicians – Davido, Ashake, Burner Boy, Whizkidd, Olamide, Tiwa Savage, Tems and a full service of different up and coming artists – person taken implicit creation halls each implicit the world. There is hardly immoderate large societal gathering connected the planet, including parties, concerts, manner shows, sports events, immoderate gathering of the world’s celebrities, that is not laced with the thumping beats of Afrobeats and Amapiano euphony and creation from Africa. 

African fashion, cuisine, literature, movie and truthful on, each soft-power tools, person assumed the magnitude of a planetary tool. 

Nigerian Afrobeats musicians are doing precise well. They are the exemplary that athletics indispensable follow to spell to the ‘War’  of Civilizations!  

African athletes, led by Nigeria, indispensable present spell retired intentionally to conquer and predominate the remainder of the world. They indispensable bash truthful successful the sports events for which the Black/African is people endowed by nature. Africans are calved to regularisation immoderate sporting events, incidentally, they are successful immoderate of the astir followed, astir lucrative and astir almighty sports successful the world, starting with football. 

The others are events successful athletics, boxing and basketball. There are others similar array tennis, handball, and truthful on. These are circumstantial events that Africans are people talented to dominate. The basal carnal requirements are embedded successful the genes of Africans. They volition lone beryllium required successful bid to control, nurse, nurture and make talents to the highest levels. 

My precocious friend, Lee Edward Evans, legendary African/American athlete, World 400 meters champion, 2-time Olympic Gold medalist, satellite grounds holder for decades, and a genius arsenic an jock and a coach, often remarked erstwhile helium was live that the African is calved to tally and jump.

He ever wanted to make the situation to observe and hone talented youngsters, and to unafraid indispensable resources needed for last translation of the athletes to champions. He wanted to crook Nigeria into the world’s top centre for the breeding of the champion sprinters and jumpers successful the world. He was not exaggerating. He believed it. He was moving astatine it until helium died 3 years ago. Some of Nigeria’s top sprinters and jumpers successful past passed done his tutelage. 

The grounds of Africa’s greatness and imaginable successful athletics is everywhere. 

From East and North Africa, immoderate of the champion and top middle, long-distance and Marathon runners person emerged and regularisation the world. 

In the shorter sprints, from 60 meters to the hurdles up to the 800 meters, and powerfulness sports (boxing and weightlifting), West, Central and Southern Africa dominate. With their kith and kin (African-descendants successful the Americas, the Caribbean Islands, and adjacent arsenic migrant...