By Barnabas Augustine
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has had her Olympic dreams crushed after being mistakenly left off the start list for the 100-metre race in Paris. The 21-year-old was expected to be a star of the games, competing in the 100m, 200m, and relay.
The blunder has caused a huge row, with people blaming both Nigerian sports officials and the worldwide athletics organisation, World Athletics.
Ofili herself is furious and has accused those responsible of ruining four years of hard work.
“I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what?”, Offili wrote on social media.
"I qualified, but those with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) failed to enter me.
"If those responsible are not held accountable for taking this opportunity from me, neither organisation can ever be trusted in the future!"
World Athletics says Ofili was only entered for the 200m and relay, but Nigerian officials insist they reported her qualification.
Solomon Ogba, a vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, told newsmen that:
“We are trying to get to the root of it, because she qualified in our trials and the result was sent to World Athletics. We just confirmed that. Normally World Athletics will send [entries] for Paris 2024. That is where the confusion is.”
Both sides are now blaming each other for the mistake.
This isn’t the first time Ofili’s Olympic hopes have been dashed. She missed out on the Tokyo Games three years ago because of a similar problem.
Another athlete, South African swimmer Lara Van Niekerk, has also had her Olympic dream ruined due to a mistake.
It’s clear that big sporting events like the Olympics are being damaged by simple errors. People are asking how this can keep happening.