The disappointing performance of Team Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been attributed to the absence of psychologists in the team.
During the Annual National Conference of the Sports Psychologists Association of Nigeria (SPAN), held on Wednesday at the National Institute in Lagos, Professor Clement Fasan, who delivered the keynote paper, asserted that Nigeria’s performance could have been better if the team had included sports psychologists.
Addressing the conference theme, “Optimizing Athletes’ Performance and Wellbeing: Challenges for Sports Stakeholders in the 21st Century,” Professor Fasan emphasized, “We cannot discuss optimizing athletes’ performance without considering their well-being or welfare. Athletes are delicate and have a limited career span. They are prone to injuries that could be severe enough to end their careers. We need to develop programs and incentive methodologies to support their well-being and welfare. Without the assistance of psychologists, athletes cannot achieve their full potential.”
Similarly, Professor Seun Omotayo noted, “Both success and failure require proper management. Tobi Amusan’s failure was due to the lack of psychological management. Sports is scientific, and without this foundation, talent and technique alone will not suffice. Coaching is a crucial part of the coaching philosophy.”
In his remarks, the Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Professor Olawale Moronkola, stated that the event is timely, occurring at a critical moment when Nigerian sports are under scrutiny due to poor performance in Paris. He added that the conference theme is relevant to the efforts of all stakeholders in the sports industry to improve the fortunes of sports in Nigeria and achieve better podium success in both national and international competitions.
“We must seize this opportunity to address the numerous issues that have plagued our sports,” he stressed.
