Nigerian Sprinter Favour Ofili Barred from 100m Race at Paris Olympics Due to Administrative Failures

Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili expressed her frustration on Tuesday after learning she will not compete in the 100-meter 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 alumna, called for accountability and questioned the trustworthiness of both organizations. She hopes to compete in the 200-meter event instead.

“It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters 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?” she shared in a post.

This incident mirrors a similar lapse during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where Ofili and 13 other Nigerian athletes were disqualified due to the AFN, NADC, and NOC’s failure to release funds for mandatory testing.

“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 unable to compete. Now this…” she added.

Ofili stressed that without holding the responsible parties accountable, neither organization can be trusted in the future. “Next one is the 200 meters. I hope I’m entered,” she said.

Despite this setback, Ofili has secured her place in the women’s 200m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Making her debut in Paris, Ofili boasts impressive credentials, including being in the Top 8 at the World Championships, a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, an African Games champion, a former World U20 champion, and an African Senior Athletics Championships champion in the 200m.

Her current world rankings stand at 23rd in the 100m and 52nd in the 200m, with her highest rankings being 13th in the 200m, 23rd in the 100m, and 37th in the 400m. In May, Ofili shattered three records in a single month.