(CNN) The Nigerian girls's 4×400 relay crew is not going to take part within the 2016 Rio Video games after an athlete who examined optimistic for a banned substance was disqualified by the Worldwide Affiliation of Athletics Federation.
A spokesperson confirmed to CNN that Cuba would now take Nigeria's place after athlete Tosin Adeloye examined optimistic for a banned substance.
The information comes on the finish of a tumultuous week in Nigerian athletics.
Nigerians have been first outraged to find final week that some members of the nationwide crew had resorted to crowdfunding to pay for his or her flights to Rio, following an e mail from the Secretary Normal of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria wherein athletes have been requested to pay their very own prices and be reimbursed at a later date.
An athlete who spoke to CNN on situation of anonymity mentioned she obtained a name from her federation asking her to pay for her personal flight. “It was a bit shocking as a result of I used to be too [previously] instructed me the Federation would pay for my flight.”
She mentioned that after her repeated requests for a ticket have been ignored, she raised cash independently. “I've been helped, folks have actually stepped in and helped. However with out all that it wouldn't have been potential,” she mentioned.
Normal follow?
CNN spoke to the nation's Minister of Youth and Sports activities, Solomon Dalong, who promised that the athletes could be supported and their flights could be paid for.
He denounced the unique e mail, saying it was despatched with out his consent, however that via an inner investigation he found that the follow of foreign-based athletes paying for his or her tickets and being refunded was commonplace.
Dalong mentioned: “I based [that] was an current follow right here. The one I questioned issues issuing the e-mail with out permission, that was mistaken. As for the content material, that's one thing they've carried out through the years. I even interviewed international athletes they usually confirmed that that is the follow.”
He confirmed that the Nigerian authorities had allotted $3.49 million for the Video games and that the crew would go away for Rio on Monday, simply 4 days earlier than the opening ceremony.
'We haven't eaten for 3 days'
In one other match, a video surfaced of the youth crew competing within the IAAF U20 World Championships in Poland. In an interview with Athletics Africa, Godwin Ashien, a member of the U20 males's relay crew, lashed out on the lack of help from the federal government.
“No one cares about us,” he mentioned. Straight from Nigeria… down right here… even once we got here from Nigeria to Dubai, we didn't eat for 3 days, we didn't eat.”
These incidents have left many questioning the place all of it went mistaken for Nigerian athletics, however former Olympic athletes Chioma Ajunwa and Mary Onyali-Omagbemi say this decline is lengthy overdue.
Ajunwa, who received an Olympic gold medal in 1996, mentioned officers' “informal perspective” in direction of athletes contributed to the nation's poor efficiency in competitions. Nigeria didn’t win a single medal on the 2012 London Olympics. Dalong has mentioned that Group Nigeria is focusing on 10 medals in Rio.
Chioma Ajunwa in the course of the 1996 Atlanta Video games.
“Different international locations have been inducting their athletes within the final three years to make sure they do good work,” Ajunwa mentioned. 'However ours [athletes], they’re on their very own, they prepare alone, they pay their payments. It’s inhumane, Nigerians should study that.”
Ajunwa mirrored on a few of her personal challenges as a part of Group Nigeria, and the federal government's perspective that she believes nonetheless persists. “Whereas I used to be competing, each time I acquired an damage or one thing else, I used to be by myself,” she mentioned.
“My nation has by no means ensured that, and that’s the reason a few of our athletes have defected to a different nation. Nigeria will solely need that [you] should you win, they may such as you should you win. As quickly as you don't win, they abandon you.”
Dalong, who was appointed in late 2015, mentioned he couldn’t touch upon the habits of earlier governments however was dedicated to creating athlete welfare a prime precedence.
“What we’ve got carried out now could be to make sure that the welfare of the athletes comes first,” he mentioned. “I personally oversee the fee of their bonuses and their allowances. It’s our accountability to take care of the well-being of every athlete all through the competitors interval and get them again to wherever they’re.”
Renew?
In addition to investing within the welfare of athletes, Onyali-Omagbemi says Nigerian athletics as a complete wants a revamp.
“Sports activities growth is the important thing of any athletics federation wherever on this planet,” mentioned the previous sprinter and two-time Olympic bronze medalist. “Should you don't have that youth/junior class that ultimately turns into the elite… as soon as that cycle is damaged, you create a void that would final for years. That's precisely what occurred to Nigerian athletics.”
Mary Onyali-Omagbemi bit her gold medal in October 2003, after receiving her medals on the eighth All African Video games in Abuja.
Onyali, who served as a particular assistant to the previous two Administrators Normal of the Nationwide Sports activities Fee, acknowledged that “issues weren’t all the time rosy” throughout her time as an athlete, however regardless of the difficulties, there was some help for athletes.
“The federal government did its half and the non-public sector did its half as nicely,” she mentioned. “Someplace alongside the road, the non-public sector progressively began to retreat and withdraw fully. Proper now, we barely have a handful of the non-public sector supporting sports activities in Nigeria. That's what hurts, that’s what's actually hurting us proper now.”
Complete reform
Whereas acknowledging the present issues, Dalong mentioned that underneath his watch, Nigerian sports activities will endure a complete reform after the Video games, one which might be extra non-public sector pushed.
“A committee has been shaped over the previous three months that may submit their report once we return from Rio,” he mentioned. “An entire overhaul of the sports activities structure is what we’ve got launched into. It will go a great distance in encouraging funding and unlocking the potential in sports activities growth.”
Nigerian Persistence Okon George completes the qualifying spherical of the ladies's 4×400 meters relay athletics occasion on the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
Regardless of the challenges, Onyali and Ajunwa are assured that, with the best construction, Nigeria has what it takes to develop into an athletics powerhouse – if the brand new post-Rio authorities makes the best preparations. “We’re 170 million Nigerians and 70% of us are youths,” Onyali mentioned.
“If we’ve got stadiums, even when it’s a six-lane observe in each LGA [local government area] in Nigeria, there isn’t any method we are able to surpass the Jamaicans and the Individuals mixed in expertise,” she mentioned.
'Nigerians are very resilient. 4 years [until the 2020 Olympics] It could nonetheless be too brief to develop a prime athlete, however I consider it’s potential.”
