Okagbare banned from 2016 Olympics

In from Nifemi Daniel
Stemming from recent disagreements, the National Sports Commission has placed an indefinite ban of sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, excluding her from representing Nigeria at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
The ban on the Commonwealth 100m and 200m champion became necessary following her refusal to participate in the on-going 2015 All Africa Games.
The 26-year old star who stirred controversy at the IAAF World championships in Beijing, China when she failed to show up for the 200m race claiming she had an injury, later went to her facebook page where she lambasted officials of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria and the media.
She claimed that injury forced her out
After the Beijing meet, Okagbare told officials of the AFN not to expect her in Congo.
But amazingly, Okagbare had hinged her decision to stay away from the 200m race and All Africa Games on injury but showed up in Zurich few days later at the Diamond League in Switzerland where finishing second with a time of 10.98 seconds.
Al-Hassan Yakmut, NSC Director General flew out of Congo on Monday to Nigeria and made frantic efforts to convince her to rescind her decision but she stood her ground.

Read also: Okagbare turns frustration on journalists, critics

The NSC and the AFN examined the circumstances bordering her decision to dock the AAG, and came to the conclusion to deny the athlete any chance of appearing in next year’s Olympics stressing that no athlete must hold the country to ransom.
According to an official of AFN, “Blessing’s absence will cut short the number of gold medals we hope to win in athletics at the All African Games.
“We expect gold from her in 100m, 200m and 4×400m. So with her absence, that means we will miss those three gold medals.”
Athletics events get underway at the on-going All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville on Saturday with Nigerian athletes expected to hit town on Thursday.

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