{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Mathematical 7","provider_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7","title":"'Chairman\u2019 Christian Chukwu must not die o! - Mathematical 7","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"d9zJlSJPtG\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/chairman-christian-chukwumust-not-die-o\/\">&#8216;Chairman\u2019 Christian Chukwu must not die o!<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/chairman-christian-chukwumust-not-die-o\/embed\/#?secret=d9zJlSJPtG\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;&#8216;Chairman\u2019 Christian Chukwu must not die o!&#8221; &#8212; Mathematical 7\" data-secret=\"d9zJlSJPtG\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Small_ChristianChukwu_2.jpg","thumbnail_width":343,"thumbnail_height":450,"description":"Some 7 years ago, I was part of a team of researchers from different countries in Africa that attended a workshop on Non-Communicable diseases in Africa. Over lunch one day in the city of Nairobi, Kenya, one of them, a scientist and former athlete from the Mozambique, on learning that I was a former football player and captain of my national team, told us about the research project he was also working on about \u2018Why sportsmen die young\u2019. It was an intriguing subject, and according to him, was relatively new as a concept in the world. Generally, because exercise is often considered the best medicine, it was never considered that beyond a certain threshold sport could also become lethal, the cause of early death of retired athletes. In his own findings, ongoing at the time, that was the case indeed \u2013 several high-performance athletes, for one reason or the other, die young. His private research was to find out why.  Deliberately, I have not kept in touch with him since then to find out more. Deep down in my heart I did not want to be told the truth. The mere thought of the possible veracity of such postulation would be a morale dampener for someone like me who is one of the global Champions of \u2018Exercise is Medicine\u2019. Unfortunately, the reality is all around me. Were the National Institute of Sports working according to its original architecture, with a very rich research centre that has now become a home to cobwebs and rodents, work to discover the long-term effect of intensive exercise would have been commissioned to add to the school of knowledge.  So, here we are living in the reality of our environment.  In the past one week, Nigeria saw and experienced an unprecedented level of outpouring of support for an ailing national sports hero. Since pictures of one of the country\u2019s greatest heroes, a national treasure and asset, a football icon, a leader and a gentleman to the core, hit the media airwaves like a tornado, the sports fraternity has woken up to new realities. The picture was of a frail, \u2018Chairman\u2019 Christian Chukwu, looking very old and very ill, wearing a hospital surgical gown, and being supported by a nurse and a few others to walk in a hospital corridor. Within hours, the pictures and stories of his health condition had gone viral. Within days, an unprecedented number of promises and pledges of support from philanthropic Nigerians, had started to pour in like rain. In one week, Chairman Christian Chukwu has moved from the obscurity and solitude of his sequestered life in Enugu to full attention in the centre of the universe! His health became the most talked about issue in Nigerian sports throughout the week eliciting unprecedented media attention and public reaction. The Anambra State government had to quickly defend itself following accusations of neglect. The management of Rangers International Football Club has had to release details of funds it released for his treatment in hospital since all of this started."}