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Blessing Okagbare minced no words in blasting the AFN and Nigerian authorities amid their saga with Paris Olympian Favour Ofili.
Legendary Nigerian sprinter and jumper Blessing Okagbare has drummed her support for Favour Ofili amid her saga with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) during and after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Ofili has been making news headlines since Paris, following her online outburst of demanding answers after the AFN and NOC failed to enter her for the 100m event despite hitting the qualifying standard.
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Putting the disappointment behind, the 21-year-old competed in the 200m and got to the final to become Nigeria's first finalist in the event since 1996. Although she finished sixth, Ofili already registered her mental strength and resilience in the hearts of Nigerians and is now a media sweetheart.
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22:37 - 07.08.2024
Paris 2024 Olympics: Where does Favour Ofili rank among Nigeria's best female sprinters in Olympic history?
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Following the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, an unidentified AFN official will then release a statement tagging the talented speedster 'uncontrollable' and even insinuating she's free to switch allegiance to another country since that's what most Nigerians want of her.
“Ofili is fast becoming an uncontrollable athlete for the AFN. There are certain things we have been trying to keep away from the public concerning Ofili," said the AFN official to The Guardian.
“At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States in 2022, Ofili refused to stay with other Nigerian athletes in our camp that had bigger athletes like Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, and others. She moved into a hotel with her coach. We tolerated her.
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11:19 - 16.08.2024
She is free to dump Nigeria-AFN blasts Favour Ofili for her behaviour
AFN have taken a dig at Favour Ofili after rumours circulated that she might dump Nigeria after a disappointing outing in Paris.
“The biggest disappointment Ofili gave to Nigeria was her refusal to compete in the semifinal of the 100m at the 23rd African Senior Championships in Douala, Cameroon, in July this year.
“Nobody in the AFN is saying that Ofili should change her nationality to another country, but if she is desperate to go, no one can stop her.
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“What I want Nigerians to know is that Ofili’s ‘unruly’ behavior is fast spreading to some other athletes, and if care is not taken, the AFN might lose control of the athletes, and that will be catastrophic for Nigeria," he said.
Blessing Okagbare comes to Favour Ofili's defense
The Nigerian 100m record holder who had a fair share of struggles with AFN on their incompetence and even called them out on most occasions during her active years, has now taken it upon herself to defend her younger protege.
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Sharing on her X page, Okagabare stressed the 'No Accountability' of the AFN and how they always tag athletes as disrespectful when challenged.
"If and when you challenge an authority for negligence and incompetence, they tag you as indicipline, arrogant, and disrespectful," she wrote.
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01:48 - 19.08.2024
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"None of them can even prove how you disrespected them directly. They're always threatened by the truth. "NO ACCOUNTABILITY"."
Ofili's yet to make a statement since the end of Paris Olympics, nor has she responded to AFN's accusations.
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