Nigerian athletics was plunged into a
major controversy on Wednesday after the Athletics Federation of Nigeria
distanced itself from the reported banning of multi-talented United
States-based sprinter Blessing Okagbare from the Rio 2016 Olympics by
the National Sports Commission.
The reports claimed the NSC had decided
to omit the Commonwealth Games women’s 100m record holder from the Rio
2016 national athletics squad after the 26-year-old opted out of the
200m event of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China
last month — and the All Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo.
Okagbare
had claimed she was injured, hence she decided to abandon the Beijing
2015 200m race. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (long jump) bronze
medallist stunned the NSC and her fans after she announced her
withdrawal from Brazzaville 2015 days before the beginning of the Games.
But the runner raised the ire of the
authorities after competing in the Diamond League in Zurich,
Switzerland on Thursday, finishing second in the 100m with a time of
10.98.
The NSC Director-General Al Hassan Yakmut
was quoted as saying the athlete would be banned from the 2016 Olympics
following the development.
However, the AFN denied the reports, insisting no ban had been slammed on Okagbare.
In a statement, spokesman for the AFN
Olukayode Thomas said Okagbare had not breached any of the federation’s
rules to deserve a ban.
“Okagbare has not done anything to
warrant the NSC to ban her, but even if she did, the Director-General is
a former athlete and an astute administrator, he will follow due
process,” he said.
He added, “Even if Okagbare has done
something and we intend to punish her, the (AFN) Secretary-General will
first write her a letter inviting her to face a disciplinary committee
where she will defend herself against the allegation. After a fair
hearing, the disciplinary committee will make a recommendation to the
board, and the board will now decide.’’
Meanwhile, Sydney 2000 Olympic Games gold
medallist Enefiok Udo-Obong says the country won’t miss the sprinter
much at the Olympics.
“Yes. We will miss Okagbare (at the
Olympics), but we can do without her,” Udo-Obong, who expressed his
disappointment with the athlete’s decision to pull out of the All Africa
Games, told our correspondent on the telephone on Wednesday.
“It’s not the right of any athletes to consider the competitions in which they will represent the country,” he said.
“Some of our athletes feel the All Africa
Games is a lower competition — and prefer bigger competitions where
they can increase their points.
“The NSC’s directive says no All Africa
Games, no Olympics. It’s not true Okagbare was banned — judging from the
reports I have read. I think the NSC has only decided to exclude her
from the Olympics.”
The retired sprinter added, “Okagbare
claimed she was injured. Everybody sympathised with her. Everybody
supported her. But days later, she ran at the Diamond League, beating
those who won medals in Beijing. People will question your patriotism
if, after supporting you, you run in another competition after
withdrawing from the All Africa Games.
The 33-year-old urged the country to start planning for the future without Okagbare.
But Okagbare has said she will stay quiet over reports of her ban from the 2016 Olympics by the NSC, supersport.com reports .
“I am not saying anything now until I get to the bottom of this and their reasons,” Okagbare told supersport.com.
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