In a video posted on Snapchat, Amusan, who is one of Nigeria’s biggest medal hopes, expressed her disappointment at the embarrassing treatment Nigerian athletes continue to face.
World record holder and reigning 100m hurdles champion, Tobi Amusan, has publicly ridiculed the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for providing substandard and inadequate kits to athletes ahead of the World Athletics Championship scheduled to hold in Tokyo, Japan.
In a video posted on Snapchat, Amusan, who is one of Nigeria’s biggest medal hopes, expressed her disappointment at the embarrassing treatment Nigerian athletes continue to face.
Speaking in English and pidgin, she said: “As it is now, I have to wear an adidas black tight. I go show you wetin Jamaica. When I tell you say Jamaica is in the same WhatsApp group with Nigeria, but dem no worse like Nigeria. Nigeria, all the other countries give their athletes two kits. See wetin Nigeria pack give us. This country (Nigeria) is really embarrassing.”
This is not the first time an athlete has spoken out about neglect by the Nigerian system.
Super Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plumptre, had also expressed concerns over the lack of basic facilities and support structures provided for the Nigerian women’s national team during the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in Morocco.
Speaking during an interview with Lagos Talks 91.3 FM posted via X, Plumptre lamented the absence of essential recovery amenities, such as a gym and pool, at the team’s accommodation throughout their stay in Casablanca, where the team played all their group stage matches, as well as the quarterfinal and semi-final fixtures.
“I think with some teams like England — obviously they’ve just won the Euros — the amount of investment and meticulous planning and structure and everything behind them is evident. It’s just like little things like the resources, what fields they’re training on, what their recovery is like,” she said.
Plumptre said the lack of facilities left the players physically drained towards the end of the tournament.
“For me and for some of the other girls, we were tired towards the end because we were put in a hotel in Morocco that didn’t have a gym. Towards the end of the tournament, we were taken to a public gym to be able to use,” she revealed.
When asked whether the Nigerian Football Federation or the Moroccan authorities were responsible for the hotel arrangements, Plumptre said the players were uncertain.
“We actually don’t know… It’s CAF, organised by CAF, but I don’t know if it’s the Moroccan FA. Honestly, I’m not quite sure,” she said.
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