The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Chief Tonobok Okowa has attributed Team Nigeria’s dismal performance at the just concluded World Athletics Championship, in Budapest, Hungary to paucity of funds and failure to organize a proper camping session for the athletes prior to the championship.
Okowa who expressed displeasure with the team’s preparations as well as the final performance said Team Nigeria Athletes would have done better if they had the proper camping session asserting that the athletes gave their best for the country but their best was not good enough because they competed with people who were better prepared for the championship.
The AFN President while commending the athletes for putting up a fight despite the poor preparation assured them that the athletics body would continue to work towards making their preparations in the future better.
Chief Okowa said that the AFN under his watch would always put the interest of its athletes its priority stressing that the athletes had trained on their own ahead of the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary asserting that the Federal Ministry of Sports must as a matter of urgency ensure that the trend is curbed if Nigerian sports was to take its pride of place in international sports meets.
He also commended Oluwatobilola Amusan for her presence of mind despite the travails she had to go through before being allowed to compete at the Championship saying she had shown that she was truly the best in her discipline after being given the nod to take part in the games just days to the commencement of the World Athletics Championship but still made it to the final of the Women 100 meters Hurdles event where she finished in sixth place.
Okowa also asserted that some of the athletes were just returning from various injuries but were not deterred by the competition to post some impressive result even though they failed to get to the podium saying Ese Brume missed the podium by whiskers despite being out injured for most part of the year as well as Favour Ofili and Godson Brume among other athletes.
He however enjoined the athletes not to allow their performances at the World Athletics Championship to dampen their confidence but rather allow it to inspire them to the heights saying they had the ability to become world champions in future.
