Government is unfair to chess players –Adu
MAY 22, 2013
Adu
USA-based Nigerian chess player, International Master Oladapo Adu, who captained Nigeria’s gold medal winning team at the 2012 Chess Olympiad, in this interview with’TANA AIYEJINA, says he is unhappy over government’s refusal to honour the team
Can you shed light on the project you are working on at the moment?
I am working on chess in schools in some states. It’s basically about introducing the kids to chess at a very tender age and the idea is to change the way they look at things; encourage them in whatever they do and also help boost their academics. It’s been proven that chess and academics work hand-in-hand because there are so many disciplines you learn while on a chessboard which you can apply to your education.
Do you have a similar project in the US?
I have a number of schools I work with in there. My company takes chess to schools and we also train trainers for chess in these schools. I work in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland and I have been doing this for the past 10 years.
Are you impressed with the standard of chess in Nigeria?
Not totally but I am impressed with the level of talents we have. The talents can go very far and that is why it is very important for us to find a way in ensuring that they play stronger hands outside the country or invite players here to compete to boost their level of expertise in the game.
What is your opinion about the administration of the sport in Nigeria?
It’s been pretty bad because people don’t try to make anything happen; they are content with whatever the sports body gives them. But they need to realise that the sports body is trying to satisfy so many sports at the same time. And they don’t have deep interest in other sports other than soccer. We’ve done so well with chess over the years, locally and internationally. The administrators can use that as a point to get across to sponsors because they can always show them things they’ve won and get the sponsors interested. But our administrators have not done much as far as I am concerned.
Do you think government has been fair to chess players like you, who won gold for Nigeria at the Olympiad?
Not at all. We won gold last year but till now nothing has been done about that. There’s no recognition from the government. Ironically, the chess team and the Paralympic team, which won six gold medals in London, arrived in Nigeria the same day. We won gold and silver respectively for the men and women teams. I remember they were rewarded but nothing has been done about chess. This has happened before. In 1998 Olympiad, my teammate Odion Aikhojie won a gold medal and till date, nothing has been done about it. It’s a trend that should be stopped. It’s favouritism. It makes no sense. The chess players sacrifice their time and money, family time and then nothing comes out of it. I think that trend has to change and it’s very unfortunate our administrators are not doing anything about that. As a sports minister, I think you should be proud to see your athletes among the best in the world. So even if it is Ayo or chess they win gold, reward them. It doesn’t matter at all, as long as they are representing Nigeria. I am Nigeria’s only foreign-based chess players. I always come home for trial tournaments and events that require us to select the national team but I am disappointed nothing has been done. That needs to be addressed.
Why have we not been able to produce a chess world champion?
There are a lot of reasons. Firstly our geographical location hinders us from contesting with the best in the world. So, for you to think of becoming a world champion, you have to be in a position to compete with the best regularly. We need sponsorship and talents to participate at the highest level in the world.
Was it easy becoming an International Master?
For you to become an International Master, you have to participate in a norm tournament with a number of international masters. You have to score certain points against them and you have to do it three times. I became an International Master in 1999 but I got the title in 2000. The title is the second highest you can ever achieve in chess.
What are your best and worst moments?
The Nigerian team I captained won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey. We’ve never achieved that feat before. That’s my best performance as a player. My worst is in 2008 when I represented Nigeria at the Olympiad. Because of the pressure of not getting my ticket refund, I couldn’t concentrate. I sacrificed to play for the country and all of a sudden, there was no refund in sight. That destabilised me. Chess is more of a mental game; you have to be 100 per cent focused. No matter how good you are, once there is distraction, it will affect you.
What is your advice to up-and-coming players?
They should keep playing the game, keep studying and try to get the best out of the game. When you play chess, there is the opportunity to win big prize money and travel abroad but the most important thing is the discipline you learn from the game. When you play chess, it teaches you life lessons; think before you make a move. It also helps you plan. So even if you don’t win trophies or money, you learn life lessons from the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment