Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has dismissed allegations by world record holder, Tobi Amusan, that Nigerian athletes were handed poor-quality kits at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, insisting that the hurdler received the same items as her teammates and even enjoyed preferential treatment.
Amusan had on Friday night taken to Snapchat to vent her frustration over what she described as the “embarrassment” of representing Nigeria.
“This country will steadily embarrass you. Una come say make people nor switch allegiance? Una never ready!” Amusan wrote in pidgin.
The 28-year-old claimed that while athletes from other countries received suitcases of apparel, Nigeria’s representatives were given only “small nylon bags” with two questionable competition outfits and no footwear, despite officials collecting shoe sizes.
She threatened to wear her own training tights and shoes.
Her outburst immediately ignited outrage on social media, with fans recalling Nigeria’s history of poor athlete welfare and citing the recent nationality switch of sprinter Favour Ofili, who chose to represent Turkey.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians have been making comparisons of Tobi Amusa’s video clip with the video below, which shows a US athlete revealing the kits provided to her for the same tournament.
Her outburst immediately ignited outrage on social media, with fans recalling Nigeria’s history of poor athlete welfare and citing the recent nationality switch of sprinter Favour Ofili, who chose to represent Turkey.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians have been making comparisons of Tobi Amusa’s video clip with the video below, which shows a US athlete revealing the kits provided to her for the same tournament.
Meanwhile, the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Okowa accused Amusan of enjoying preferential treatment compared with her teammates.
“All other athletes came on economy class, but Tobi alone flew business class. We got business class for her because that was what she demanded, that we must buy her business class,” he claimed.
He, however, clarified that the flight upgrade was her only special request.
“She did not demand any other thing apart from that,” Okowa said.
In its own statement, Hiracer confirmed that it is kitting 20 countries at the World Championships, including Nigeria, Algeria, Zambia, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Myanmar. The firm insisted that all federations received identical distributions.
The situation between Amusan and the federation underscores the longstanding friction between Nigerian athletes and sports authorities, often revolving around welfare, preparation, and transparency.
Amusan, who famously won gold at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon and set the world record in the 100m hurdles, has consistently spoken out against poor athlete management.
“We need them to concentrate, shun all distractions, and focus on their competitions.”
