Blessing Okagbare has blamed officials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) following the ban of 10 of the country’s Track and Field athletes from taking part at the on-going Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Twenty athletes, including 10 from Nigeria, will not be allowed to participate in track and field at the Olympics because they did not meet anti-doping testing requirements in the lead-up to the Games.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which runs the anti-doping program for the sport, requires athletes from countries categorized as “high risk” because of deficiencies in their testing programs to be given three no-notice, out-of-competition tests in the 10 months leading to a major event.
Each of the seven so-called “Category A” countries had at least one athlete banned from the Games. The countries are Belarus, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Ukraine.
And reacting to the ban, Okagbare wrote on Twitter:”I have said it before and I will say it again. If you do not know the sport, not passionate about it/Us (the athletes), then you have no business there as an administrator. The sport system in Nigeria is so flaw and we athletes, are always at the receiving end of the damages.
“They were busy fighting over power, Exercising their pride over puma contract/ kits forgetting their major responsibility “THE ATHLETES”. It’s sad that this cycle keeps repeating its self and some people will come out to say I am arrogant for speaking my truth. It is my CAREER.”
Okagbare will take to the tracks when athletes kicks off on Friday.
Meanwhile, Team Nigeria is yet to win any medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
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COMMENTS
A day is coming when all these disgraceful officials will be visited with vicious attacks, for constantly putting their selfish interest ahead of nigeria. THAT DAY IS SURELY COMING. THEY LIVE, TRAVEL, AND LODGE AROUND AND AMONGST US. DISGRACEFUL IDIOTS.
God bless you Blessing, those idiots are fighting over who becomes what, all because of the gain they will acrue from the Olympics participation.
The estacodes, bonuses, allowances, and the bribe they will get from various contracts is their headache not necessarily because they have anything meaningful to offer Nigerian sports.
Heads supposed to roll on this disgraceful acts, but our “grammar speaking” sport minister will not take any action as usual, the circle will continue. Weep for my dear nation
10 of medal prospects athletes disqualified!!!! What a disgrace. Very shameful!!! And yet u tell me we have a sports minister. Hopeless bunch of idiots!!!! Everything about this country is in shambles including the sports sector that gives us joy. Shame on you mr sports minister, you are a big failure. I won’t be surprised that we won’t even get a single medal at the games. Such a disgrace! Who did we offend in this country? Who???? Why is it that things are not done the right way? Why is it that our sports administrators are not pro active enough to nip this sort of disgraceful occurrence in the bud before it happens, why?????? I’m ashamed of being a nigerian. Ever since this has happened, the sports minister is yet to issue a statement and tell us why this sort of nonsense happened. He won’t bcs it’s not rohr and his super eagles. All of u people deserve to be rounded ip and sent straight to prison. Bunch of selfish corrupt idiots!!!
Let us find out the facts before laying blame. We have an Olympics Committee. Athletics is governed by the AFN, the Athletics Federation. Detailed rules are supposed to be known by, and applied by, them. I don’t believe it is the Ministry.
It is shameful,sometimes is difficult been a Nigerian why can’t we try to put a stop to this selflessness and personal gains is so painful,well God help us..God bless Nigeria..
All athletics officials who travelled to Tokyo must return at once to answer questions at Aso Rock
Does your current leadership care about things like this? Do they care about the wellbeing or welfare of the people? Do they care about the business environment?
How is this different from the things you hear in the news everyday. The Sports sector is not isolated from the normal failures we’re experiencing from the Country’s governance.
Just as an aside: Complete Sports did not publish any news story on Leon Balogun’s interview about the failure of the NFF and Sports Ministry to settle match bonuses, allowances and bonuses for players and officials of the Super Eagles in nearly two years. They however published the response from the Ministry.
We are watching you people….
Hehehehehe….and one hoodlum here wants us to join him in worshiping the so-called SPORTS minister who is no upgrade to Dalung other than his better queens english….LMAOOooo. I dont know why CSN is sugar-coating this report. OUR ATHLETES FAILED DOPING TESTS…Period..!!! As many as 10 of them…yes TEN. And I’m sure all ten are the ones based at home….Im pretty sure of that.
Please of what use is having a sports minister when we cant even have proper testing programs for our representatives…? So we are categorized as “high risk” because of deficiencies in our testing programs….and the loud mouth is busy telling someone else who is being owed 2 years of emoluments to shut up…?!LMAOoooo.
If that man has any shame, he should uproot himself from Tokyo where he and his foot-soldiers are jamboreeing and giving us useless daily “EYE ON TOKYO REPORTS” and return home to do what they are mandated by the terms of their duties to do.
Mr Sunday Dare should SHUT UP…..HE TALKS DAMN TOO MUCH. He should sit his damn ass down in his office and stop being a disgrace to his generation.
Shame on the athletics Federation of Nigeria and the ministry of sports. They have failed Nigerians and the athletes rather than bow their heads in shame and resign they will begin trade blames, and shift responsibility regarding owning up to their faults.
How many athletes remain when ten have already been disqualified. Will the relay teams still be able to participate because it’s not certain they will have a complete team
It’s quite funny that the biggest opponent our athletes face is the administrators.
For every medal we manage to win, the successful athlete needs to defeat his/her opponents from other countries, but must also defeat the corruption, incompetence and nonchalant attitude of our sports administrators.
Balogun spoke against it. Now Okagbare is speaking out as well. Athletes should be more vocal about this things, let the issues be on the front burner.
Eventually, these miscreants will be brought to book.