The World record holder and reigning 100m hurdles champion, Tobi Amusan, has faulted the choice of kits picked by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for the 2025 World Athletics Championship in Tokyo, Japan, describing it as inferior and inadequate.
She said that unlike other countries where athletes receive top quality training and racing kits already placed in suitcases, Nigerian sportsmen get their wears wrapped in nylon bags without any indication that it was specifically designed for the Nigerian representatives.
Amusan, who is one of Nigeria’s biggest medal hopes, expressed her disappointment at the embarrassing treatment Nigerian athletes continue to face, saying this is the reason many athletes switched nationality.
In a video released on Friday through her social media handle, the athlete said: “As it is now, I have to wear an adidas black tight. I will show you what Jamaica did for its athletes. When I tell you that Jamaica is in the same WhatsApp group as Nigeria, but they are not as bad as Nigeria. For instance, all the other countries gave their athletes two kits for this competition. But Nigeria brought inadequate and inferior kits. This country (Nigeria Athletics Federation) is really embarrassing.”
Before Amusan’s outburst, there had been complaints from other sportsmen and women raising concerns over the welfare package provided by the nation’s sports governing bodies.
It would be recalled that the 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 after the WAFCON victory, 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.
