Tokyo disqualifications: Okagbare hauls pebbles at Sports Administrators
With the toast of Olympics, athletics set to begin in a matter of hours, Nigeria’s medal hopeful Blessing Okagbare has lampooned sports administrators over the disqualification of ten Nigerian athletes.
Okagbare who can best be described as the face of athletics for Nigeria in recent time, regretted that while other administrators in other countries are fighting tooth and nail to ensure that their athletes are the best through improvement of facilities and other sundry efforts, their Nigerian counterparts are constantly fighting for position, seeking for relevance and making themselves more important that the athletes who are even the reason for the season.
An apparently furious Okagbare who finished second in the recent Diamond League in Doha leading to the Olympics, was blunt in her submission which she underscored was not the first time she was saying it.
She urged those who are either ignorant about the knowledge of the game or not passionate about it and the athletes to leave the stage for good.
Hear her “I have said it before and I will say it again. If you do not know the sport, not passionate about it/Us (the athletes), then you have no business there as an administrator. The sport system in Nigeria is so flaw and we athletes, are always at the receiving end of the damages..
They were busy fighting over power, Exercising their pride over puma contract/ kits forgetting their major responsibility “THE ATHLETES”. It’s sad that this cycle keeps repeating its self and some people will come out to say I am arrogant for speaking my truth. It is my CAREER❤”
Okagbare who is a proud Olympiand having won a silver medal in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Games. The 32-year-old Delta born sprinter is going to her fourth Olympic Games and has her eyes set on winning another medal, but this time in the 100m sprint.
Okagbare finished second behind Jamaica’ Fraser in Doha who is also in contention in Tokyo
She ran a wind-assisted time of 10.63 in Lagos in June, which has buoyed her confidence going to Tokyo. Okagbare is the current African record holder in the 200m with her run of 22.04 seconds in 2018. She was the African 100m and long jump champion in 2010.
Nigerians who some say have not really been following the Olympics especially with the poor results coming in from other disciplines, will be focusing on athletics which begins early Friday.
read also10 Nigerian Athletes Banned From Tokyo Olympics
Athletics is regarded in some quarters as the melting point of Olympics where you see men and women attempting to the faster than air and pushing themselves to the limit.
Recall that ten Nigerian athletes were yesterday banned from participating in the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games.
Nigeria is the most affected country, not meeting the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15.