Outrage followed Nigeria’s dismal performance at the Moscow ’80 Olympic Games. Some officials were accused of sleeping with female athletes while other countries went for medals.
The country had won a bronze medal in boxing through Isaac Ikhuoria at the Munich ’72 Games following the footsteps of Nojeem Maiyegun, whose bronze at Tokyo ’64 made him the first Nigerian to win an Olympic prize.
Things were expected to be better in 1976. The Green Eagles were in spectacular form, Charlton Ehizuelen
, ranked among the worlds best Long Jumpers and, of course, there was Modupe Oshikoya, one of the queens of the 1973 Second All Africa Games.Nigeria withdrew at the last minute to protest New Zealand’s rugby ties with apartheid South Africa.
Moscow ’80 offered some hope, at least, to wipe the disappointment of the previous Games. The Eagles who failed to qualify as African champions, later made it as last minute replacements. And another boycott, this time by the Eastern bloc seemed to have opened up the field for grabs.
Segun Odegabami captained the Eagles to a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic. That was the best the team got. The other two matches were a huge disappointment. The Czechs advanced to win gold in soccer. Nigeria returned home empty handed. It was believed that there was more sex than sense in camp.
In 1991, there was another story of sex scandal. The Super Falcons had debuted at the maiden FIFA Womens’ World Cup in China. That era belonged to players like Chioma Ajunwa, Florence Omagbemi, Omo Love Branch and Nkiru Okosieme, among others.
It was funny. Accompanying female journalist, Pauline Walley, of Concord newspapers said she had a dream where a male official was sleeping with some of the girls. That dream turned out to be blown out of proportion. As if some people wanted the dream to come through, it cost the official his job. At the end, Paul Hamilton’s girls returned with a basketful of goals.
Nigerians do not need to panic over sex in camp. It is not a criminal offence. In the past it boosted performance. These are stories that are not written down in any report. I will rely on oral tradition to make my point.
And one of my sources is also an ex -international. She told me of a team mate whose best always came after a bout of ‘bedmatics’. This particular athlete would get the required drive to shine, from her boyfriend who was always handy to render the necessary service.
On this particular day, the boyfriend was nowhere around and time was running out for the girl to hit the stadium for an international event. Everyone ran helter skelter when Mr. Lover Boy could not be found. At the end, one of the coaches was advised to go do the needful. And it worked. The athlete made it to the stadium and won.
There was another top athlete whose boyfriend also made the national team. The former was A-class while the latter was a fringe runner. Both were together even if the man was decamped for not meeting up. And his job was just to prepare her for a great outing minutes before time. It was a rewarding job.
We should not worry about what champions do in bed. Bob Beamon made headlines at the Mexico 68 Olympics. Six months to the Games, he was sacked from the Athletics team of the University of Texas, El Paso. So he arrived Mexico City without a coach. In the long jump event, he had three Tokyo ’64 medalists to contend with.
Lynn Davies of Great Britain, who won gold previously, qualified for the final again alongside Ralph Boston of the US and Ter-Ovanesyan of the Soviet Union. Compatriot, Boston, chose to assist Beamon with coaching.
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While others hit their beds in the night to prepare for the event the following day, Beamon was on top of a woman. It was when he had gone so far that he remembered there was more work to do in the next couple of hours.
The world went crazy when Beamon made a leap of 29feet, 2 1/2 inches [8.90 metres]. Boston and Lynn knew only a man from outer space could do better. A new World record had been set by the New Yorker. The excitement put the new champion in danger. Doctors called it seizure.
We can not forget what happened at Melbourne ’56. American Hammer Thrower, Harold Connolly and Czech Discus Champion, Olga Fikotova were so glued to themselves in hot romance that the Games Village quaked. Both left Finland with gold medals for their respective countries.
They eventually got married and in 1972, Olga led the American team to the Munich Games. A year later, they broke up. Connolly went for another Olympian, Pat Daniels. Many wondered how a man with a deformed left hand could win the heart of sportswomen so effortlessly.
Four years before Helsinki, the Czech pair of Emil and Dana Zapotek dined together as husband and wife. Helsinki ’52 was about this couple moving from the dining table to bed and straight to the field. They won more gold medals than all African countries put together.
Sex makes sense. No ban goes with it. The first Olympian to be banned, Hans -Gunnar Lilzenwall, of Sweden was sent away for testing positive to Excessive alcohol at Mexico ’68. Canada’s Ben Johnson lost out to Stanozolol at Seoul ’88. It is sexy to win gold medals so go for it if you need a boost. Ask Beamon, Connolly or the Zapoteks.