Team Nigeria leaves for Rio in batches
Disqualification of 4x400m Relay Team
Shocks AFN
With the football and basketball teams
already in the United States rounding
off their preparations for the Rio
Olympics, and majority of foreign-
based track and field stars finding
their way to Brazil, many Nigerians
were expecting to see the ‘few’ athletes
and officials back home jetting out of
the country as a single team for the
Games. But that is not to be.
Rather, Team Nigeria will fly out in
batches, with the first contingent
expected to jet out from Abuja today
through an Ethiopian Airlines’ flight.
The Guardian learnt yesterday that the
President of the Nigeria Olympics
Committee (NOC), Engr. Habu Gumel
departed yesterday for Brazil.
The first batch of athletes and some
officials will leave today, while the
Secretary General of the NOC, Tunde
Popoola, is expected to lead another
set of athletes and officials to Rio on
Monday.
It was not clear yesterday if the Sports
Minister and other ministry officials
will be part of the first batch that will
jet out today.
Team Nigeria will participate in eight
events in Rio. The events are the men’s
football, basketball, boxing,
weightlifting, canoeing, table tennis,
wrestling and track and field.
Meanwhile, officials of the Athletics
Federation of Nigeria (AFN) have kept
mute over the disqualification of the
country’s women’s 4x400m by the
International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF).
The disqualification has further
diminished Nigeria’s medals prospect
in the track and field in the Rio
Olympics by one event.
A member of the Nigerian 4×400 relay
quartet, Tosin Adeloye, tested positive
to a banned substance at the
Confederation of African Athletics
(CAA) Super Grand Prix/Warri Relays,
which took place in Warri, Delta State
on July 24, 2015.
The quartermiler was a member of the
Nigerian quartet that placed fourth at
the IAAF World Championship in
Beijing last August.
Adeloye ran the third leg in the
semifinals, where the team clocked
3:23.27 seconds, the second fastest
time in Nigeria’s all-time 1600 relay
record. She also ran the third leg in
the final.
Other members of that Nigerian team
include Regina George (first leg),
Funke Oladoye (second leg) and
Patience Okon-George, who anchored
the team to place fourth.
Going by IAAF rule, all the results
Adeloye achieved during the period
after the test individually and jointly
will be annulled. She has been banned
for eight years.
The trio of Okon-George, Margaret
Bamgbose and Omolara Omotosho,
who have been picked by the AFN for
the Games, may still be in Rio after
meeting the qualification standard for
the open 400m.
The IAAF has removed the times the
Nigerian team ran in Beijing from the
2015 top list on its website.
Nigeria had qualified for the event
based on the aggregate of the two
fastest times achieved by the Okon-
George’s led team in the qualification
period from January last year to July
this year.
Nigeria’s two fastest times (3:23.27
and 3:25.11) during the qualification
period was achieved at the 2015 IAAF
World Championships in Beijing,
which gave an average of 3:24.19 that
made Nigeria the ninth fastest nation
in the event going to Brazil.
Nigeria’s two other fast times of
3:29.94 achieved in Durban last month
and the 3:31.27A achieved in Nairobi
in April 2015 will not place among the
best 16 nations eligible to compete in
Rio.
Some top AFN officials were still
shocked by the development yesterday
and no one was ready to speak to The
Guardian on the issue.
Shocks AFN
With the football and basketball teams
already in the United States rounding
off their preparations for the Rio
Olympics, and majority of foreign-
based track and field stars finding
their way to Brazil, many Nigerians
were expecting to see the ‘few’ athletes
and officials back home jetting out of
the country as a single team for the
Games. But that is not to be.
Rather, Team Nigeria will fly out in
batches, with the first contingent
expected to jet out from Abuja today
through an Ethiopian Airlines’ flight.
The Guardian learnt yesterday that the
President of the Nigeria Olympics
Committee (NOC), Engr. Habu Gumel
departed yesterday for Brazil.
The first batch of athletes and some
officials will leave today, while the
Secretary General of the NOC, Tunde
Popoola, is expected to lead another
set of athletes and officials to Rio on
Monday.
It was not clear yesterday if the Sports
Minister and other ministry officials
will be part of the first batch that will
jet out today.
Team Nigeria will participate in eight
events in Rio. The events are the men’s
football, basketball, boxing,
weightlifting, canoeing, table tennis,
wrestling and track and field.
Meanwhile, officials of the Athletics
Federation of Nigeria (AFN) have kept
mute over the disqualification of the
country’s women’s 4x400m by the
International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF).
The disqualification has further
diminished Nigeria’s medals prospect
in the track and field in the Rio
Olympics by one event.
A member of the Nigerian 4×400 relay
quartet, Tosin Adeloye, tested positive
to a banned substance at the
Confederation of African Athletics
(CAA) Super Grand Prix/Warri Relays,
which took place in Warri, Delta State
on July 24, 2015.
The quartermiler was a member of the
Nigerian quartet that placed fourth at
the IAAF World Championship in
Beijing last August.
Adeloye ran the third leg in the
semifinals, where the team clocked
3:23.27 seconds, the second fastest
time in Nigeria’s all-time 1600 relay
record. She also ran the third leg in
the final.
Other members of that Nigerian team
include Regina George (first leg),
Funke Oladoye (second leg) and
Patience Okon-George, who anchored
the team to place fourth.
Going by IAAF rule, all the results
Adeloye achieved during the period
after the test individually and jointly
will be annulled. She has been banned
for eight years.
The trio of Okon-George, Margaret
Bamgbose and Omolara Omotosho,
who have been picked by the AFN for
the Games, may still be in Rio after
meeting the qualification standard for
the open 400m.
The IAAF has removed the times the
Nigerian team ran in Beijing from the
2015 top list on its website.
Nigeria had qualified for the event
based on the aggregate of the two
fastest times achieved by the Okon-
George’s led team in the qualification
period from January last year to July
this year.
Nigeria’s two fastest times (3:23.27
and 3:25.11) during the qualification
period was achieved at the 2015 IAAF
World Championships in Beijing,
which gave an average of 3:24.19 that
made Nigeria the ninth fastest nation
in the event going to Brazil.
Nigeria’s two other fast times of
3:29.94 achieved in Durban last month
and the 3:31.27A achieved in Nairobi
in April 2015 will not place among the
best 16 nations eligible to compete in
Rio.
Some top AFN officials were still
shocked by the development yesterday
and no one was ready to speak to The
Guardian on the issue.
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