‘We have tolerated her’ – AFN lists the sins of Favour Ofili following Olympic games outburst

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has responded to Favour Ofili’s complaints and behaviour following her disappointing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Ofili had expressed frustration over being left off the women’s 100m event list, which sparked significant discussion on social media.

The AFN has now provided more details about the issues they’ve had with Ofili. An AFN representative told The Guardian, “Ofili is becoming an increasingly uncontrollable athlete for us. We’ve tried to keep some issues private, but her behavior has been problematic.”

He continued: ” At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, she chose to stay in a hotel with her coach instead of joining other Nigerian athletes at the camp with stars like Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume. We tolerated her,”

READ MORE: Nigerian athlete vows to come back stronger after Olympic setback

” Ofili did not attend the AFN National Trials for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. We tolerated her,” the representative added.

During the Budapest championships, she refused to train with other Nigerian athletes for the baton exchange, insisting on instructions from her American coach. This led to the 4x100m relay team missing the final due to poor baton exchange.

Ofili also missed the National Trials for the African Games in Ghana and did not participate in the games in Accra. “We tolerated her,” the AFN said.

The biggest disappointment was her refusal to compete in the 100m semifinal at the African Senior Championships in Douala, Cameroon, in July. This led the AFN to initially exclude her and Rosemary Chukwuma from the Paris Olympics team. However, Sports Minister John Owan Enoh intervened, complicating the AFN’s decision.

The AFN representative emphasised, “Nobody is saying Ofili should switch nationality, but if she is determined to leave, we won’t stop her. We need to ensure we don’t lose control over other athletes. It’s better to have a disciplined team than one with issues.”