Tokyo Olympics: Disqualified Nigerian athletes protest in Japan

Athletes representing Nigeria at the 2020 Olympics in Japan, staged a protest in Tokyo, on Friday after ten of them were banned from taking part in the track and field competition at the ongoing Olympic Games, which begins on today.

The Nigerian athletes expressed frustration at seeing their dreams of competing at the ongoing Olympics dashed.

They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Why should we suffer for someone else’s negligence”, “We are not just alternates but potential medalists,” and “All we wanted to do was compete.”

According to them, the negligence from the Ministry of Sports and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN led to the disqualification of the ten athletes.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which runs the anti-doping program for the sport, disclosed that the athletes failed to meet the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15 of the Anti-Doping Rules for ‘Category A’ federations.

Meanwhile, two Nigerian athletes, Blessing Okagbare and Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, have made it to the semifinals of the women’s 100m race in the ongoing Olympic Games in Tokyo.