•Favour Ofili
Nigerian sprinter, Favour Ofili, has said she will not be competing in the 100-metre race at the ongoing Olympics in Paris due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Olympic Committee.
While expressing her frustration in a series of tweets yesterday, Ofili questioned the trustworthiness of both organisations, and called for accountability from those responsible for her lost opportunity.
The LSU Track and Field alumni hopes to be entered in the 200-metre event.
Her post read, “It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 metres at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what?”
Despite qualifying for the event, Ofili disclosed that the officials did not enter her, marking a repeat of the previous Olympics, Tokyo 2020.
She added, “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 Nigerian athletes that qualified to not compete. Now this……”
“If those responsible are not held accountable for taking this opportunity from me, neither organisation can ever be trusted in the future! Next one is the 200 metres. I hope I’m entered.”
Ofili was entered for 100m, 200m, 400m, 100×100 relay, after securing her place in the women’s 200m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The 21-year-old who tweeted around 10 pm, was one of 10 Nigerian athletes declared ineligible for the Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit because they were not tested rigorously enough in the run-up to Tokyo 2020.
