The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, announced plans to investigate the exclusion of Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili from the 100m Women’s event at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
This announcement follows public criticism from Ofili, who expressed frustration over her omission, citing administrative errors by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
In a series of social media posts on Tuesday, Ofili, an alumna of LSU Track and Field, revealed that despite qualifying for the 100m race, she was not entered in the event due to alleged oversights by the AFN and NOC.
“It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters 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?” she lamented.
Ofili, who now hopes to compete in the 200m event, mentioned that this is not the first time such administrative issues have affected Nigerian athletes.
She recalled similar challenges during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where several athletes, including herself, were unable to compete due to funding and administrative problems.
Reacting to the situation, Minister Enoh issued a statement on Wednesday, urging the AFN and NOC to ensure that Ofili and other athletes are not deprived of the chance to compete in events they are qualified for.
He emphasised the importance of allowing athletes to showcase their talents and vowed to take appropriate action against those responsible for the oversight.
“The Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Olympic Committee must ensure that Ofili is not deprived of the opportunity to compete in the races for which she is qualified and registered to represent the country at the Paris Olympics,” Enoh stated. He assured that there would be “sanctions after investigations into where and from whom this gross negligence originated.”
