Nigerian athlete Favour Ofili
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has been charged to pay a sum of eight million Naira to Nigerian athlete Favour Ofili as damages for its failure to register her in the women’s 100-meter race at the Paris Olympics.
Team Nigeria failed to win a single medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, held between July 26 and August 11, 2024.
Coupled with the poor performance was a series of controversies, including Favour Ofili’s exclusion from the 100-meter race due to negligence from some AFN officials.
An investigative committee set up by the Federal Government to look into the matter traced Ofili’s omission to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, the Nigeria Olympic Committee, World Athletics, and the International Olympic Committee.
According to The PUNCH, the Secretary General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi, was “negligent in her duty of communicating to the Ministry of Sports Development and the Nigeria Olympic Committee information about Ofili’s event status in a reliable and timely manner.”
The committee also faulted Samuel Onikeku, AFN Technical Director, who it said demonstrated “poor judgment” by failing to act on a “hint” of Ofili’s non-registration for the 100m event, adding that the situation may have been saved had Onikeku reported or acted on the information.
