The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has denied omitting the name of sprinter Favour Ofili from the 100m event of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Ofili expressed her outburst via her social media on Tuesday, July 30, blaming the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) for the oversight.
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“It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters at this Olympic Games,” she said. “I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for 4 years to earn this opportunity. For what?
“Please remember, in the last Olympic Games I was not able to compete because AFN, NADC and NOC failed to release funds for athletes to be tested, which made 14 Nigeria athletes that qualified to not compete. Now THIS.
“ If those responsible are NOT held accountable for taking this opportunity from me, neither organization can EVER be trusted in the future!
“Next one is the 200meters, I HOPE IM ENTERED.“
In his reaction Onikeku, however, expressed shock at the omission of Ofili’s name, claiming she was registered for the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay.
“We registered Ofili for the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. We don’t know how her name got missing in the 100m. This is our stand as a federation,” AFN Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, said in a message to AFN Media.
He added the federation submitted Ofili’s name for the three events on the final list it sent to the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) for the Paris Olympics.
Ofili ran 11.06 at the Nigerian Olympics Trials in Benin City to secure her place among the 56 athletes that will compete at the Paris Olympics. She has competed in more 100m races this season than the 200m and ran two wind-aided times of 10.85sec and 10.78secs.
3 Comments
Look at a whack country! See how maladministration I destroying the career of our youths. If you entered her name, how did it get missing? And someone will wake up tomorrow and start abusing these athletes for competing for another country. This is their life, their livelihood, their career. How on earth will these guys be trifling with it this way? Why? 4 years of hard labor, serious preparation, all up in the air because idiots failed to do their job. What a country!
“We registered Ofili for the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. We don’t know how her name got missing in the 100m. THIS IS OUR STAND AS A FEDERATION.”
End of story. End of explanation. End of the matter. Lol.
Oga, explain your stand.
Did a rat eat the paper her name was written in cos someone had used the paper to eat puff puff?
Did the ink run out of the pen before you could finish writing ‘OFILI. ‘
Was there a power cut before you could click send to IOC email?
At least, say something stupid. Cos ‘THIS IS OUR STAND’ is stupider.
In a saner climes, a grave offence like this is met with extreme punishment, mass resignation and what-a-view. This is not the first and will ever be the last. I will enjoin ofili to remain focus on the 200M.