Former players share Olympic experience

SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda's African Message) - What is it really like taking part in the Olympics? What does the future hold for African basketball? I asked these and other questions to four former African basketball players who played at the Olympics.

For some it is an occasion to remember for the rest of one’s life, for others it was a life-changing.

Since the beginning of the modern day Olympics, out of the 54 African countries, five (Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, Angola, and Central African Republic) have taken part in the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament, while another four (Democratic Republic of Congo - formerly known as Zaire - Senegal, Nigeria and Mali) have represented African women at the most prestigious sports event in the planet.

Tunisia and Angola join the Olympians for the first time after winning the 2011 Afrobasket and Afrobasket for Women respectively.

Mali and Mozambique will play the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) for Women, in late June, in Ankara, Turkey. If they win two of the five places available, African representation will rise to 11 countries - an Olympic record.

However, African basketball teams’ results at the Olympics are still slim compared to other continents.

An African men’s team last won a game at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Game, when Angola beat Korea 99-61.

Democratic Republic of Congo was the first African country to play at an Olympic Basketball Tournament for Women in 1996.

At that event, 36-year-old Congolese Mwadi Mabika along with Lukengu Ngalula, 40, (the country’s flag bearer) & Co were unable to win a game.

Mabika, though went on to have a successful WNBA career with the Los Angeles Sparks.

It took eight years for a female African team to win a game. It happened at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, when Nigeria, led by Mfon Udoka, beat Korea with 68-64 victory.

With the countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games running fast, four former Olympians shared their experiences with us.

Mohamed Elshakeri, 43, Egypt.

He played at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He currently works for the Egyptian Basketball Federation.

“For me it was a dream comes true. It was a turning-point for me. I was just 19 years old and that was a realisation of a dream of any athlete of my age," he said.

“The best sports event the world can watch. Everything about the Olympics is positive. Athletes’ attitude is immeasurable.

“I remember one day we had an early morning practice session and after that we went to a restaurant and shockingly I saw Steffi Graf (German tennis legend) there having a meal.

“On other occasions I remember seeing Ben Johnson (former 100 meters record holder) walking through our accommodation.

“I hope Tunisia to do well and enjoy the experience.”
 
Richard Anicet Lavodrama, 48, Central African Republic.

He played at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

He was the fourth-best scorer of the tournament averaging 20.6 points and also 10.9 rebounds per game. He had three game-high performances against Yugoslavia (30 points and 13 rebounds), Australia (30 points and nine rebounds) and Russia (formerly known as USSR – 27 points and 10 rebounds).

Currently, Lavodrama works for a Spanish sporting representation firm.

“It was one of the biggest things to have happened in my basketball career as well as for my home country, mainly because we had just won the 1987 Africa Championship. It was a great achievement," he recalled.
 
“Being able to compete against big names such as Oscar Schmidt (Brazil), Dino Radja (Yugoslavia), Arvydas Sabonis (USSR), Drazen Petrovic (Yugoslavia), Vlade Divac (Yugoslavia) and Andrew Gaze (Australia) was simply an unbelievable feeling.

“Central African Republic, Senegal and Egypt were African powerhouses at the time.

“Unfortunately due to social and political turmoil in some African countries sport developments have turned upside down.

“Honestly, it is quite difficult to develop sports when there is no social stability. Without roads, telecommunications or electricity it is hard to develop players’ potentials," Lavodrama explained.

“Players can’t keep playing under rain, heat or in a non wooded floor.

“The best investment for sports is political and social stability.

“I have visited Tunisia in the past, and I know well how good work they are doing with the national team, especially with a good head coach (Adel Tlatli) they have.

“They are doing a tremendous work, this is the reason they won the 2011 Afrobasket.

“As for my experience at the Olympics I just have to encourage them and being positive, and expect them to keep working hard.

“Nigeria has potential to become a top-10 team in the world stage.

“Angola, it was a big surprise not having won the tournament [2011 Afrobasket].”

Jean Jacques Da Conceição, 47, Angola.

Probably the most remarkable Angolan player at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He had a game-high 22 points in an 83-63 win over hosts Spain.

The moment has been branded “Angolazo” by the Spanish media.

Media reports labelled that defeat as one of the most embarrassing moments of the Spanish basketball history.

Da Conceição is currently vice-chairman of the Angolan Basketball Federation.

“Playing at the Barcelona Olympics was the result of the basketball work we were doing in Angola," he recalled.

“The good thing for us was that Spain had never believed that we could have beaten them, and we did it.

“It was one of the happiest days of my basketball career.

“That victory was encouraging for our national team.

“We always believed that we could beat teams in our group, even though we lost some games.

“The secret of winning is discipline.

“It is an event that any sportsperson wishes to take part in and I have been fortunate to have taken part in it.

“Our women's national team is already qualified [to the London Games], and Angola should stand up and encourage them to enjoy and doing well. If you lose a game at the Olympics you are comforted with the atmosphere around you," Da Conceição went on. 

“Nowadays the USA Dream Team has not the same expression as the original one had. Those were the best basketball players who have ever appeared at an Olympic, in my opinion. They were meticulously selected.

“It was difficult to beat them, but nowadays it is possible.

“People keep mentioning that incident (Charles Barkley threw an elbow at Angola's Herlander Coimbra), but what people don’t say, perhaps because they don’t know or don’t want to (know) is that (Charles) Barkley was honourable enough to send a letter to the Angolan Basketball Federation apologising for the incident.”
 
Amir Adbduelkhir, 51, Egypt.

He played at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 Olympics, Seoul. He is the current head coach for Egypt's Men's national team.

“Being second in assists after Michael Jordan is something that I still feel proud of. I hadn’t realised until I was told later on. For me it was such an honour," he said.

“That particular Olympic Tournament [1984] will remain in my mind for my whole life.

“Currently we are working with around 40 to 50 young players and some of them are choosing USA College programmes. We have to be positive about our future.

“As national team head coach, I see we will be doing fine in three years time. And we surely will play at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.”

I was unable to get a hold of Udoka and Mabika and share their thoughts on Olympic experiences, but I hope to have the opportunity to do so.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA

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