On Friday, July 30, 2021, the disqualified Nigerian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics protested the Athletics Integrity Unit’s (AIU) action against them, accusing the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) of carelessness.
Earlier this year, ten Nigerian athletes were disqualified from competing in the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics.The athletes were disqualified for failing to meet the National Anti-Doping Federation’s minimum testing standards under Rule 15.
Following their disqualification, the affected athletes marched to the streets of Tokyo to show their disappointment at having their Olympic aspirations crushed due to the Ministry of Sports and the AFN’s incompetence.
They organized a demonstration in Tokyo with placards calling out the Ministry of Sports and the AFN for their disqualification due to incompetence.
A placard raised by one of the athletes read, “Why should we suffer because of someone else’s negligence?”Another poster stated, “All we wanted to do was compete.”
