REVEALED: AFN Member Behind Stripping Of Oyesade Of Africa Games Gold Medal
Investigation has revealed that a co-opted member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, is in connection with stripping of Olatoye Oyesade few months after winning gold at the 2019 African Games in Morocco, Bestchoicesports.com.ng understand
It was gathered that the member (name withheld) wrote a mail to the International Athletics Federation using another mail in order not to be fingered in the controversy.
According to sources, the individual is among the panel set up by the sports minister, Sunday Dare to investigate the nation’s performance at the 2019 IAAF Athletics championships in Doha.
According to sources close to the Federal Ministry of Sports, there is currently uneasy as the country’s sports minister is uncovering lots of untrue stories told to him by some aggrieved members of the AFN.
The source said, “We at the Federal Ministry of Sports are shocked that a Nigeria, especially an individual close to the board of AFN can go to the length of writing a letter to IAAF stripping off an athlete gold medal won at the 2019 African Games because of ego; this is shameful and unpatriotic.
“The funniest thing is that the said board member was part of the panel who submitted their recommendations to the minister on the performance of Team Nigeria at the 2019 IAAF Athletics championships in Doha.
“Could this also be a way the individual is trying to the AFN after he was denied a position by board members”, the source said.
Shockingly on 3rd November, 2019 a publication by complete sports claimed that the NOC did not congratulate the AFN on the 2019 IAAF World championship in Doha, I find this disheartening, said a board member.
The board member said, “This publication is an insult to the President of Nigeria Olympic Committee, Engineer Habu Gumel and the sporting federations. I find it shambolic and a means of inciting the public against the public. The said publication should be withdrawn and retracted by the sports website”.
The board member further said, “The NOC President personally signed two letters congratulating the AFN on the success of the 2019 African Games on 10th September and 2019 IAAF World championships on 7th October. So I do not know and where reporter got his side of the story”.
