The Federal Capital Territory Athletics Team at the ongoing National Youth Games in Asaba 2023 has raised concerns about what they perceive as favoritism and bias in the competition.
The athletes lodged a protest with the FCT Federation Secretary and are demanding access to video recordings that they believe will substantiate their claims.
Leading the protest is Sam Atepije, FCT Athletics Head Coach. He asserted that the team secured the second position during the 4 x 100 race but was unjustly relegated to third place by officials.
Atepije further explained that the team that secured the second position should have automatically qualified for the final race but was inexplicably excluded.
The situation escalated when the athletes believed their protest was being addressed while the race to determine the finalists was already underway, dashing their hopes of participation in the final.
Ademuyiwa Lawal, Sports Developer for FCT, emphasized that the boys had indeed qualified during the semi-finals, where the first and second-best teams, along with the fastest loser, were selected for the finals.
However, Lawal criticized the requirement for athletes to pay a N100,000 fee if they wish to file a complaint, which he saw as an attempt to discourage grievances.
The delay in releasing race results has also caused frustration among the athletes, as they await the outcome of the 100-meter race, which was supposed to be released promptly.
When reached for comment, the chairman of the media sub-committee for the games, Moses Etu, refuted the allegations, stating that one of the FCT athletes crossed lanes during the race, resulting in automatic disqualification.
AFN technical director, Samuel Onikeku, explained that an athlete’s performance in the semi-finals is not always indicative of their performance in the final, emphasizing that unexpected outcomes can occur in the finals.
Onikeku also noted that the competitive spirit among young athletes should be nurtured to boost their confidence.
