In 1992, during the finals of the 4×100 meters relay race at the Barcelona Olympic Games, an unforgettable moment unfolded.
The Nigerian female quartet sprinted the last 50 meters with such incredible speed that even the 54,000 spectators in Montjuic Stadium couldn’t determine which country secured third place, Nigeria or France.
The race was incredibly close, with the Nigerian girls crossing the finish line just ahead of
their French rivals by the narrowest of margins. Despite officially finishing third and winning the Bronze medal, the crowd erupted in applause and admiration for the Nigerian team’s remarkable performance. The jubilant and exuberant celebration exhibited by the Nigerian girls captured the true essence of “winning.”
These awe-inspiring images and the subsequent caption, “At the Olympic Games, you do
not have to come first to be a winner,” were selected by CNN in 2005 to epitomize the spirit of sportsmanship and Olympism. They were prominently featured during the celebrations of the Centennial Games in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics.
In an unrelated event, back in 1980, the United States government made the decision to
boycott the Olympic Games in Moscow, USSR, as a protest against the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan. This marked the second instance where politics and international diplomacy
infiltrated the realm of sports.
The tradition of employing boycotts at the world’s most prestigious sporting event had already been established in 1976 when 27 African countries boycotted the Montreal Olympics, causing it to be regarded as the worst in Olympic history.
However, there was a significant difference in how the athletes affected by these boycotts
were treated. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter invited the American athletes to the White
House, celebrating them as patriots and heroes.
Despite not participating in the Games, these athletes were still recognized as “Olympians” in the United States. Regrettably, the same level of recognition and appreciation was not extended to the African athletes who had sacrificed their dreams and careers for a greater cause in 1976.
Reflecting upon these events, it becomes evident that the athletes who did not compete in
the Games should still be acknowledged as “winners.” Their sacrifices and commitment
deserve recognition and respect, regardless of the circumstances surrounding their absence from the Olympic stage.
