Accused in judge’s clothing

(5)
Accused in judge’s clothing

By Clem Oluwole 

While still gradually recovering from my heart-rending ordeal in London en route to Moscow for the Olympic Games, a couple of my readers fetched me out for comment over what a colleague of mine tagged ‘Sexgate’.

A lot has been written in the press about the sexgate since our contingent to Moscow returned home. The scandal is a very complicated issue. More so that it took place thousands of kilometers away from here. But then, all the ‘principal actors’ are back home. To get to the bottom of the whole scandal, all those who were in the Games Village where the scandal took place will have to testify.

The idea of setting up an inquiry right there was sensible but in this situation, how can an accused turn round to be a judge? It was the officials who were accused of immoral advances. And any official appointed to investigate it will surely lean towards fellow officials. The officials should not expect us to accept the findings of the board of inquiry with equanimity.

I will not attempt to pass judgement in my comment. But I know what our officials can do. It was only in athletics that we had female participants. Other events in the Games were strictly male affairs. And before our athletes left for Moscow, we were told that selection was based on merit. That was debatable. The exclusion of the Belgam sisters even raised eyebrows in some quarters.

I have had the opportunity to cover many major sporting competitions both within and outside the country. And I know what some of our officials can do. Some of them have come to associate themselves with one sport or the other because of two things: Free allowances and plenty of ‘chicks’. I have written once or twice in this column some years ago about the licentious inclinations of some of our officials. They know what effect sexual contacts could have on athletes who are competing. But the hedonistic officials will close their eyes to the negative repercussions to have fun. After all, who cares if we don’t do well? Officials see competition periods as a fertile ground to make a catch. I am sure very few can be exonerated. And that was why the sex scandal did not pinch me one bit. But what still amazes me is the allegation that some of the female athletes turned loose in Moscow. It was evident in the picture taken during a disco session in Moscow featuring a prominent Nigerian female athlete doing her thing with a Brazilian partner.

It is arguable that the girls were ‘deported’ because they refused love advances from some of the officials. It is quite easy for any girl to use sex as blackmail. But the moral laxity of our officials makes it difficult for one to come in their defence.

Besides the sex scandal, I did not expect our contingent to come back with a bronze medal. How can we when our last appearance in the Olympics was in 1968? We had not been sufficiently exposed to Olympic atmosphere to enable us work hard enough to justify our position as a great sporting nation of Africa.

I don’t subscribe to the argument that we should have boycotted the Games rather than going to Moscow and not winning any medal. Similarly, I don’t believe in mere participation. But in this regard, we got the baptism of the Olympic ’80 and this could serve as a basis for the next Games in 1984.

In fact, the Zimbabwean victory in the female hockey competition at the Moscow Olympic Games does not impress me, even though that country had not taken part in the Games for years now.

I saw the group photograph of the female players in one of our national dailies. Only one player looked like a black girl. The rest were all white girls. It is nothing to be proud of.

Coming back to the sexgate, I am happy to hear that the Federal Government has instituted an independent inquiry into the scandal. All the officials and athletes connected should be invited to give evidence. To hear that some of the officials so accused are employees of the National Sports Commission (NSC) makes the whole story sour. Something has to be done to the NSC unless the government wants us to believe that institution is unassailable. That will amount to the tail wagging the dog.

If nothing convincing is achieved, I will mount a house to house campaign, bell in hand, against female participation in sporting events. And I am sure of receiving a hundred per cent co-operation of progressive parents.

I know for sure that those morally bankrupt officials who have grown up daughters will hate to see even a fly landing on their daughters’ laps!

Then why should those who live in glass houses throw stones?

(Culled from Saturday, first published on August 16, 1980).