Athletics Federation of Nigeria president Tonobok Okowa, has rubbished claims by some individuals that selections into the team to the Paris 2024 Olympics was biased.
The argument was that Favour Ashe and Godson Brume who didn’t participate in the national trials were picked ahead of Seye Ogunlewe who was fourth during the 100m contest won by Kanysola Ajayi. Okowa said the critics of the team selection were only being mischievous based on their unrestrained desire to cause disunity and disaffection among the athletics family.
Okowa noted that in athletics performance has always been the yardstick for team selection and that is exactly what the technical committee followed in their drawing up the list.
“Favour Ashe’s Personal Best this season is 9.94 seconds and this gives him a direct qualification to the Games and the same applies to Godson Brume with 9.99 seconds.
“How can we drop athIetes that met the entry standard and pick some that is 68th by world rankings and place 4th in our trials?” Okowa queried.
He added that Ashe and Brume were medically exempted from the trials in Benin City, hence their inability to run.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister, Senator John Owen Enoh, has commended the AFN for the team selection and dismissed accusations of favoritism.
According to Okowa “The Federation has made the best selection and the Sports Minister Senator Enoh is firmly backing the Federation despite efforts to blackmail us by ethic bigots who knows nothing than to latch on slightest dot to criticize without facts.
“All Nigerian athletes are Nigerians and with good performances are eligible to represent the country irrespective of where they come from.
“AFN can’t be blackmailed to succumb to selecting athIetes based on who you know in political circle or anywhere, our selection is based on performance and nothing but Performance, Okowa added
