Nigerian athletes, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma, withdrew from the 100m semi-finals at the ongoing CAA African Senior Championship in Douala, Cameroon.
They were not alone, as Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou and South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi also pulled out of their respective events.
The athletes’ decision to withdraw from the race remains unexplained, but their absence from the semi-finals is suspected to be linked to the championship’s poor organization, an issue that has been vocally criticized by many top athletes.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo had previously expressed concerns about the event’s organization, and it appears that others share his sentiments.
Africa’s fastest woman Ta Lou took to social media to express her frustration, stating, “There are so many things I wanted to say about the organization of the African championship!!! I am hurt and disappointed!!! My team had to take a taxi to the stadium because the transportation was inadequate!!!”
She continued, “I had high expectations coming here, but we need to do better to effect change. We now have high-level athletes, and our events deserve better organization.”
Ofili echoed Ta Lou’s sentiments, commenting on her post and referencing the subpar organization. The withdrawals have raised questions about the championship’s management and its ability to meet the expectations of its athletes.