Nigerian athletes staged a protest in Tokyo after 10 of them were disqualified from taking part in the the track and field events of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The protesting athletes carried placards with the inscription “Why should we suffer for someone else’s negligence”, “All we wanted to do was compete” and “We are not just alternates but potential medalists.”
“We are not just alternates, but potential medallists”, “Dreams shattered”, “10 out of 23, we can’t continue this way” were also some of the inscriptions on the placards carried by the protesting Nigerian athletes.
The athletes who protested are Ruth Usoro, Favour Ofili, Annette Echikunwoke, Chioma Onyekwere, Glory Patrick, Chidi Okezie, Tima Godbless, Rosemary Chukwuma, Yinka Ajayi and Knowledge Omovoh.
The PUNCH had reported that the Athletics Integrity Unit disqualified Ruth Usoro, Favour Ofili and eight other athletes after they failed to conduct the mandatory three out-of-competition tests before the Olympics.
The Nigerian athletes represented 50 per cent of the total number of athletes disqualified across the world for violating OCT regulations.
Punch Newspaper
