Favour Ofili Withdraws from 100m Race at Paris Olympics Due to Administrative Issues
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has announced she will not be competing in the 100-metre race at the Paris Olympics due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
In a series of frustrated tweets on Tuesday, Ofili expressed her disappointment and questioned the reliability of these organizations. She called for accountability from those responsible for missing out on her chance to compete.
Ofili, a former LSU Track and Field athlete, hopes to participate in the 200-metre event instead. She shared, “I’m deeply regretful to announce that I won’t be racing in the 100 metres at these Olympics. I qualified, but the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. After four years of hard work, this is disheartening.”
Despite her qualification, Ofili revealed that officials failed to submit her entry, echoing issues from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where a lack of funding for athlete testing prevented 14 Nigerian athletes from competing.
She added, “If those responsible for this mistake are not held accountable, I can’t trust either organization moving forward. I’m hoping to be entered into the 200 metres.”
Ofili was initially set to compete in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and the 4x100m relay. The 21-year-old athlete, who tweeted her frustration around 10 pm, was among 10 Nigerian athletes deemed ineligible for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit due to insufficient testing.
