Expressing frustration, Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili revealed she won’t compete in the 100-meter race at the Paris Olympics due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Olympic Committee. She called for accountability and questioned the trustworthiness of both organizations.
An LSU Track and Field alumna, Ofili aims to participate in the 200-meter event coming up. The LSU track program refers to Louisiana State University’s track and field program.
In a social media post, she expressed disappointment, stating she had qualified for the 100-meter race but was not entered by the AFN and NOC officials, similar to the situation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She emphasized the lack of accountability, pointing to the previous Olympics’ incident where 14 Nigerian athletes couldn’t compete due to funding and testing issues caused by the organizations.
Looking ahead, she hopes to compete in the 200 meters and urges for accountability from the responsible parties for the missed opportunity.
Reportedly, Ofili has secured her spot in the women’s 200m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as per PUNCH Online.
Despite attempts to reach out, our correspondent couldn’t get in touch with the officials from the concerned agencies for clarifications.
Ofili, one of the ten Nigerian athletes deemed ineligible for the Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit in a late declaration, faced similar challenges in the past.
Being a debutant at the Paris Olympics, Ofili boasts an impressive track record, having achieved success at various championships and competitions.
With current world rankings of 23 in 100m and 52 in 200m, her achievements include being a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, an African Games champion, a former World U20 champion, and an African Senior Athletics Championships champion in the 200m.
She also broke three records in a single month back in May.