July 31, (THEWILL) – Sports Minister, John Enoh, has promised to investigate the omission of Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili from the 2024 Olympics women’s 100-metre race. Ofili, who had automatically qualified for the event earlier this year, announced on Tuesday that she would not be participating due to registration issues.
The 22-year-old athlete blamed the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for failing to register her for the event. Ofili stated that these organisations could not be trusted in the future.
In response, Enoh said he had been informed by the AFN that Ofili was registered for the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay in the final list submitted to the NOC. He added that he was awaiting an explanation from the NOC president regarding the situation.
Enoh revealed that he had been in contact with various officials, including Professor Ken Anugweje of the Ministerial Podium Performance Committee and AFN Technical Director Samuel Onikeku, to address the issue. The minister emphasised that there would be thorough sanctions following investigations into the source of this oversight.
The sports minister’s swift response and promise of an investigation highlight the seriousness of the situation. However, if the outcome of this probe does not come with significant implications for the management of Nigerian athletics and Olympic preparations in the future, it will amount to nought.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
