Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili expressed her frustration on Tuesday, announcing that she will not participate in the 100-meter race at the ongoing Paris Olympics due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
Ofili called for accountability from those responsible and questioned the reliability of both organisations. The LSU Track and Field alumna hopes to be entered in the 200-meter event.
In a social media post, Ofili stated, “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?”
Despite her qualification, officials did not enter her, marking a repeat of the previous Olympics in Tokyo 2020. She added, “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 who qualified unable to 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 meters. I hope I’m entered.”
Ofili was one of 10 Nigerian athletes declared ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit due to insufficient testing. She has a distinguished track record, including 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.
Her current world rankings are 23rd in the 100m and 52nd in the 200m, with her highest rankings being 13th in the 200m, 23rd in the 100m, and 37th in the 400m. In May, Ofili broke three records in a single month.
