
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has expressed confusion over the absence of national women’s 100m champion, Favour Ofili, from the event’s entry list for the Paris Olympics. Despite the AFN’s claims that Ofili was registered for the 100m, 200m, and women’s 4x100m relay, her name is missing from the 100m event.
Ofili raised concerns on Tuesday night, accusing both the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the AFN of failing to register her for the 100m race. “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 4 years to earn this opportunity. For what?” Ofili lamented.
Samuel Onikeku, Technical Director of the AFN, confirmed that the federation is equally baffled by the situation. “We registered Ofili for the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. We don’t know how her name got missing in the 100m. This is our stand as a federation,” Onikeku stated via AFN Media.
A review of the entry list published by World Athletics shows that Ofili will compete in the 200m and the women’s 4x100m relay but not in the 100m. Ofili had qualified for the 100m during the AFN National Trials at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City in June, setting a personal best of 11.06 seconds to secure her first national title.
In April, she also met the Olympic standard for the 200m at the Tom Jones Memorial Classic with a time of 22.33 seconds.
The athletics events at the Paris Games are set to begin on Thursday with the men’s 20km race walk. The first round of the women’s 100m, the event Ofili was registered for but is now missing from, will start on Friday.