One of Nigeria’s medal hopefuls at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Favour Ofili, has rued her omission from the women’s 100m event, which has raised concerns over how Team Nigeria will fare at the end of the ongoing Summer Games.
Despite winning the Nigerian 100 metres title at the Olympic trials in Benin city, Ofili was omitted from competing in the event as the country’s athletics body, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), failed to submit her name to the organisers of the event.
Ofili, who has recently dominated the sprint event, was left fuming what she described as a show of high incompetence by the AFN, and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
Ofili who has only been entered in the 200 metres event by the AFN in an emotional post on Instagram said; “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 my name. I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what… to not be entered and compete at the Olympic Games because the responsible organisation failed to enter me?”
The Port Harcourt-born athlete also recalled her previous experience at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where she and 13 US-based athletes were deprived from competing in the track events due to the failure of the AFN, NADC, and NOC to release funds for their testing prior to the Games.
“Please remember, in the last Olympic Games I was not able to compete because AFN, NADC and NOC failed to release funds for athletes in the USA to be tested, which made 14 Nigeria 🇳🇬 athletes that qualified to not compete,” she continued.
“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 meters, I hope i’m entered.”
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Ofili will need to pick herself up and focus on the 200 metres where she is expected to face stiff competition from the likes of two-time Olympic Champion, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabrielle Thomas, Dina Asher-Smith, Sharicka Jackson, Sha’Carri Richardson, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, and a host of others.
