Nigeria’s Favour Ofili has qualified for the women’s 200 metres semi-final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Ofili secured her spot with a season-best time of 22.24 seconds, winning heat 6 of the event. She outpaced notable competitors, including Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Gambia’s Gina Bass-Bittaye.
The 21-year-old athlete’s achievement comes amid controversy, as she was denied participation in the 100-metre race due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC). Ofili expressed her frustration on social media, highlighting the negligence that cost her the opportunity.
“It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 metres 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 tweeted.
In response, Sports Minister John Owan Enoh announced an investigation into the exclusion of Favour Ofili from the 100m women’s event. He acknowledged that similar issues have affected athletes from other countries but emphasized his concern for Nigeria’s accountability.
“I have been duly informed that some other countries have similar issues, and these aforementioned bodies do not want to open a floodgate that would become difficult to manage. Howbeit, I am not concerned about other countries.
My interest is with my own country Nigeria and who is responsible for the nonlisting of Favour Ofili,” Enoh stated.
He further noted that World Athletics had indicated the AFN should have addressed the omission when the final list was published in July.
“At what point did her name drop out of the 100m race? Who’s responsible for this? What’s the motivation behind this? What’s the trail of communication from AFN to NOC and to IOC and/or World Athletics?” Enoh questioned.
Despite the setback, Favour Ofili’s impressive performance in the 200 metres brings hope and pride to her supporters as she advances to the semi-finals.