The 2025 World Athletic Championships in Tokyo have been tumultuous, to say the least, for the Nigerian contingent. First, there was the news that more Nigerian sports officials traveled to Tokyo than Nigerian athletes. In fact, reports suggested that athletes like Kelly Ufodima (200m) and Tima God-Bless (100m & 200m), who had individually qualified for their events, were left out in favor of bringing more delegates. Then, the reigning 100m hurdles champion, Tobi Amusan, took to social media to call out the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for providing substandard kits for the Championships. But the problems didn’t end there.

Team Nigeria has endured a difficult time at the meet so far. First, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finished 5th in the men’s shot put final (21.52 m). Then Kayinsola Ajayi made history by reaching the men’s 100m final but then placed sixth (10.00). Sprinter Samuel Ogazi, the reigning NCAA champion in the 400 m, was one of Nigeria’s best medal hopes. But instead of glory, the AFN is once again courting controversy.

In the 400 m heats, Ogazi finished 5th with a time of 45.97s, failing to make the semis. But the reason behind his underwhelming showing? “First of all, I told you, Team Nigeria officials, I wasn’t prepared for this race because my hamstring is bad, but they still insisted that I should go run, so I did what I could, and that’s the outcome,” revealed Ogazi after the race.

“On Monday, back home, I had a very good practice, and I felt ready. I flew in on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I went for a shakeout, and I felt some tweak or some shaking in my hamstring. “They said, just go out there and give it your all,” he said, adding that he didn’t even warm up properly.

Adding to his hamstring woes was another big setback: COVID-19. The NCAA champion revealed that he was diagnosed just two weeks before the championships began: “Right now, I’m not feeling healthy and strong. I don’t know, maybe coupled with the fact that I was diagnosed with COVID two weeks ago. I don’t know.”

He continued, “Yeah, I was willing to sit out. I was very, very much willing to sit out. During the warm-up, I spoke with the doctor. He taped my leg. I told him, ‘Yo, I’m not ready.’ I know I’m not feeling healthy and strong yet.” Ogazi’s statements come as one more blow for an AFN that is already under fire. As briefly mentioned above, Tobi Amusan also had a bone to pick with her federation.

AFN accused by the Nigerian track and field champion

Tobi Amusan not only stands as a big name in the Nigerian track and field community but also in that of the whole world. In the 2022 World Championships, she set the T&F world ablaze as she claimed the win in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles with a historic time of 12.12 seconds. It wasn’t just a PB for Amusan but also a world record, one that stands to date. Going into the finals, she cut that time down to 12.06 seconds, though it wasn’t counted as a WR due to 2.5 m/s of wind.

Which is to say that Amusan is an icon of the sport and her country. Her triumph in 2022 made her Nigeria’s first world champion and world record holder in an athletics event. An event that she went on to win 3 consecutive times in 2021, 2022, and 2023. But even a highly decorated athlete such as Amusan was made to publicly express disappointment with her federation for providing inadequate kits.

“As it is now, I have to wear an Adidas black tight… When I tell you say Jamaica is in the same WhatsApp group with Nigeria, but them no worse like Nigeria. Nigeria, all the other countries give their athletes two kits. See what Nigeria pack give us. This country (Nigeria) is really embarrassing,” she said in a video posted to Snapchat about the Nigerian kits for the Tokyo World Championships. In the video, we could see a kit in small nylon bags.

She claimed athletes received only two outfits, with important items like sweatshirts and warm-up gear missing, and that the kits were handed out in small plastic bags instead of proper suitcases like other countries did.

However, AFN President Tonobok Okowa dismissed Amusan’s claims. He claimed the kits were standard and supplied by their sponsor, Hiracer, which outfits 20 countries worldwide. “They even got spike shoes and covers. The only omission was travel bags, but those were already provided by World Athletics,” Okowa said. He also claimed that all other athletes flew coach, while Tobi Amusan demanded business class, which she was provided.

Nonetheless, despite the seemingly inadequate gear, Amusan went on to win both the heats and semifinals of the 100m hurdles. And in the final, though she was unable to reclaim her crown, she nabbed the silver medal with a time of 12.29.