Blessing Okagbare has blamed the Athletics Federation of Nigeria officials following the ban of 10 of ten Nigeria athletes. The athletes were the country’s Track and Field athletes. They were banned from taking part in the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Blessing Okagbare Blames Athletics Federation of Nigeria for their Ban
A total of twenty athletes, including ten from Nigeria, were not allowed to participate in track and field at the Olympics because they did not meet anti-doping testing requirements in the lead-up to the Games. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which runs the anti-doping program for the sport, demanded the athletes from the countries that are categorized as “high risk” because of deficiencies in their testing programs to be given three no-notice, out-of-competition tests in the ten months leading to a significant event.
Each of the seven so-called “Category A” countries had at least one athlete banned from the Games. The countries are Belarus, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Ukraine. And reacting to the ban, Nigerian athlete Blessing Okagbare wrote on Twitter, saying:” I have said it before, and I will say it again. If you do not know the sport, are not passionate about it/Us (the athletes), then you have no business there as an administrator. The sport system in Nigeria is, so flaw and we athletes are always at the receiving end of the damages.”
She also said: “They were busy fighting over power, Exercising their pride over puma contract/ kits forgetting their major responsibility “THE ATHLETES”. It’s sad that this cycle keeps repeating its self and some people will come out to say I am arrogant for speaking my truth. It is my CAREER.”
Blessing Okagbare is one of the country’s best when it comes to tracking events. She will take to the tracks when athletes kick off on Friday as they have been finally cleared. Meanwhile, Team Nigeria is yet to win any medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
