Favour Chukwuka Ofili is a Nigerian track and field sprinter. She is the 2019 African Games silver medallist in the 400 metres. Ofili won silver in the 200 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She was the 2021 World Under-20 Championship bronze medallist in the 200m
The 21-year-old has teamed with Tobi Amusan, Rosemary Chukwuma, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, Joy Udo-Gabriel
Ofili revealed on Tuesday in a series of tweets, that she will not take part in the 100m race at the ongoing Olympics in Paris.
She explained that this was due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, and the Nigerian Olympic Committee, NOC.
Read also: Paris 2024 Olympics: AFN baffled by Ofili’s exclusion from 100m event
She demanded accountability from those responsible and questioned the trustworthiness of both organisations.
Ofili also expressed hopes that she would be entered for the 200m event.
Her post read, “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?”
Ofili also revealed that the officials not entering her for the event was a repeat of what happened at the previous Olympics, Tokyo 2020.
She added, “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 to not compete. Now this……”
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Olympic Committee have been trading blame over Ofili’s exclusion from the Women’s 100m event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, a move that has smeared Nigeria’s campaign.
Samuel Onikeku, AFN Technical Director, in a press release on Wednesday, expressed shock at Ofili’s exclusion, stating, “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.”
