News
Furious Boxers Reveal Subper Camping Conditions After Olympic Elimination
- Nigerian boxers Patricia Mbata, and three others failed to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- They attributed this due to inadequate preparation and poor camp conditions, citing lack of equipment.
- Despite their struggles, three other Nigerian boxers qualified earlier in Senegal.
Eko Hot Blog reports that following their disappointing exit from the final round of Paris 2024 Olympic Games boxing qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, some Nigerian boxers have attributed their poor performance to inadequate preparation.
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Nigeria’s boxing team, consisting of Patricia Mbata, Zainab Adeshina, Blessing Oraekwe, and Ifeanyi Onyekwere.
All failed to secure any of the 51 available slots for the Paris Olympics.
Punch correspondent reached out to the quartet and received responses from Adeshina, Oraekwe, and Onyekwere regarding the conditions leading up to the qualifiers.
Onyekwere, the only male boxer in the Nigerian contingent, expressed his frustration over the lack of proper preparation.
After his point decision defeat against Dmytro Lovchynskyi of Ukraine in the men’s +92kg (super-heavyweight) round of 32.
“The preparation was very bad. It was just one week camp, with a lot of stress in it.
“After training, we would need to go do police report, medical report and a lot of other things that cut into our time for rest.
“It takes us weeks to do that normally.
There was no good food in camp, no allowances, and no rest,” Onyekwere lamented.
“Good training and rest make a boxer or an athlete perform well.
“Just like the African Games in Ghana, we were given good training and time to rest.
“That’s why we came out overall best team in Ghana with eight gold and two silver.”
Adeshina, who competed in the women’s 50kg category and reached the quarter-finals, echoed Onyekwere’s sentiments.
Adding that the team lacked adequate training equipment.
“There was no proper preparation and then we did not have adequate equipment for training for this qualifier at all.”
Oraekwe, who competed in the women’s 66kg category and lost by unanimous decision (0-5) to Armenian Ani Hovsepyan in the round of 32.
She highlighted the negative impact of the late call-up to camp on their overall performance.
“To me, there was no proper arrangement and we didn’t have enough time to rest. They called the camp late and it affected our performance,” Oraekwe said.
Retired boxer Ikechukwu Okoronkwo also chimed in on the matter, stressing the importance of extended training camps.
This is to improve the boxers’ skills and competitiveness on the global stage.
“Even though our coaches have confidence in the natural ability of our boxers.
“I believe Team Nigeria boxers need long camping and international tours to develop advanced skills to be able to outclass other boxers.
“When it comes to world boxing competitions,” Okoronkwo asserted.
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In total, three Nigerian boxers—Olaore Adams, Cynthia Ogunsemilore, and Omole Dolap.
All secured qualifications in 2023 in Senegal, are the country’s only representatives heading to the Paris Olympics.
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