Paralympic patriots, Ability in Disability
The abject, medal-less show by Team Nigeria to the London Olympics was shattering. But the performance of the same Team Nigeria at the ongoing London Paralympic Games borders on the heroic. Thanks to these heroes and heroines who have shown so much sterling ability in disability (as distinct from the other that showed abject disability in ability), Nigerians can walk tall again in the comity of Olympians.
As at Day 6 at the London Games, Nigeria had won five gold, five silver and one bronze medals, taking the team’s total medal haul to 11. Team Nigeria sits 12th on the overall table, but on the power-lifting medals table, where the team mined most of its medals, it sits on top as numero uno. In power-lifting, Team Nigeria athletes have so far broken four Paralympic and four world records in the current games. But the thrill is, it appears morning yet on medals-digging day!
Yakubu Adesokan, the Ibadan-born athlete and celebrated power-lifter set the ball rolling by lifting 180kg in the men’s 48kg category, breaking not only the Paralympic record, but also breaking the world record twice, first by lifting 178kg before settling for the winning weight of 180kg, a weight almost four times his body weight. That set up the winning tonic for this fantastic Nigerian contingent.
Although Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympiad, said the true spirit behind the games was participating without necessarily winning, after fierce but honest and friendly sporting competition, a win or loss at the Olympic Games has often showcased the strength or weakness of a country’s domestic polity and economy. So, economically strong and politically stable and prosperous states tend to do better at the Olympics than the laggards.
The summer London Olympics definitely showed Nigeria as one of the sporting laggards, as the country could not even muster a single medal, of any colour or hue. But the Paralympic story has been decidedly different, a load of thanks to these heroic men and women who, even with their physical challenges, have clearly shown that disability can only be of the mind (as demonstrated by the team to the Olympics) and not of the body (as demonstrated by the Paralympic team).
But these two contrasts themselves are a powerful metaphor of the country – what is, and what can be. Nigeria, like the failed Olympians at the London Games, has everything in natural endowment. But like a spoilt brat, it has made little or nothing of its God-given talents. On the other hand, the Paralympics have demonstrated, with their soul-lifting performance so far, that not even the greatest of physical impediments can deter a mind focused and determined enough to soar.
There is another lesson in patriotism. Everyone complains about how better Nigeria could be; and how it is a disincentive to be of service to the country. Indeed, many former Nigerian national athletes have competed in other countries’ colours, simply because of the debilitating environment and the shambolic sporting administration that has grounded Nigerian sports. But the brave Paralympics are showing an alternative paradigm: even with warts all, a patriotic Nigerian can still do his or her best for the country. Bless you, heroic ambassadors, for that moral.
That however should be a double-edged appeal. These patriotic Paralympics should spur renewed determination to do the best for motherland. But it should also spur the government to do the needful to earn this patriotism.
