Nigerian athletes – Immortalised in Atlanta

When next you visit the city of Atlanta, Georgia, USA, that hosted the 1996 Olympic Games, make sure you pay a visit to the Centennial Olympic Park, the site of the athletics event.

The environment has become a major tourist destination. One can spend several hours going round the park and reliving memorable moments of the 1996 Games particularly when some Nigerian athletes shone like a million stars and left indelible marks in Olympic history.

So, if you ever go to the Olympic Centennial Park, downtown Atlanta, ensure that you locate the reconstructed walls that carry the names of all the Olympic Medallists at the Games, monuments for all ages.

The idea of the beautiful, newly constructed ‘NIIA Wall of Fame’ funded by AirPeace Airline within the premises of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs in Lagos, Nigeria, came from the Atlanta model called the ‘Leaves of Honour’.

The walls are tucked away in a beautiful corner of the huge Park in Atlanta, surrounded by gentle water fountains and a decorated sitting area for guests that may come and take their time sifting through the names of the sports heroes.

It took a little while for me to locate the walls, as well as the names, now slightly faded as a result of wear and tear. The names of ALL the Nigerian athletes are there, an everlasting testament to their exalted place in sports history.

If you look closely enough, you will find the names in the attached pictures that I took a few days ago. This, I hope, will help Nigerians to recall the greatness of their country’s athletes at Atlanta 1996, to dampen their disappointment at Paris 2024, and prepare them to face the challenges of Los Angeles 2028, just ahead.

Take your time and look closely.
You will find several of the names of the gods – Chioma Ajunwa, Mary Onyali, Falilat Ogunkoya, Charity Opara, Bisi Afolabi, Fatimat Yussuf, and so on…….etched forever on marbled walls in the city of Atlanta.

Dr. Olusegun Odegbami MON, OLY, AFNIIA, FNIS