Nigeria bans Blessing Okagbare from Rio 2016 Olympics
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) have placed a ban on sprinter Blessing Okagbare, which excludes her from representing her country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, according to media reports.
The ban came after Okagbare announced she would not be representing Nigeria for the 2015 All African Games in Congo.
Okagbare claimed a hamstring injury after she fumbled in the 100m final to finish last at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China. She had also failed to show for the 200m event at the championships. However, a few days later, the sprinter finished second with a time of 10.98 seconds in the 100m at the Diamond League Meet in Zurich.
The NSC and AFN, on examining the circumstances after she announced her decision to skip the All African Games, decided to deny the sprinter any chance of appearing at the 2016 Olympics.
