Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili expressed her frustration on Tuesday, revealing she will not compete in the 100-metre race at the ongoing Paris Olympics due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC). Ofili, an LSU Track and Field alumni, called for accountability from those responsible and voiced her skepticism about the trustworthiness of both organizations.
In her social media post, Ofili stated, "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 me. I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what?" Despite qualifying for the event, Ofili disclosed that the officials did not enter her, marking a repeat of the previous Olympics in Tokyo 2020.
Ofili highlighted past issues, noting, "Please remember, 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 that qualified not compete. Now this... If those responsible are not held accountable for taking this opportunity from me, neither organization can ever be trusted in the future! Next one is the 200 metres. I hope I’m entered."
The 21-year-old sprinter, who was also entered for the 200m, 400m, and 100×100 relay, was one of 10 Nigerian athletes declared ineligible for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit due to insufficient testing. Making her debut in Paris, Ofili is a decorated athlete with accolades including Commonwealth Games silver medalist, African Games champion, former World U20 champion, and African Senior Athletics Championships champion in the 200m. Her current world rankings are 23 in 100m and 52 in 200m.
