AMUSAN
Former world champion and women’s 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan
Former world champion and women’s 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, has criticised Nigerian authorities over the kit provided for herself and other athletes representing the country at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Saturday PUNCH reports.
With just a few hours to the kick-off of the championships, Amusan voiced her concerns over what she perceived as unprofessionalism and a lack of coordination within the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
In a video she shared on her Snapchat, Amusan said, unlike other countries that provide their contingents with kits in suitcases, the Nigerian government hands them their own kits in nylon bags with little or nothing significant in them.
“This country will steadily embarrass you. Una come say make people nor switch allegiance? Una never ready!” she said in pidgin.
“All the other countries, they gave their athletes suitcases. See what Nigeria used to pack kits for athletes. Every year, that’s how we collect it. Inside one small nylon bag,” she added.
The hurdler complained about the quality of the competition gear, saying, “They gave us two. Everything two, una dey see. Oya. Competition gear wey be say if you sweat like this, the colour go dey peel for body.
“Where long sleeves? No singlet, no nothing. We never get clothes wey we go wear for them.”
Amusan also highlighted that despite officials collecting shoe sizes, no shoes were included in the kit bags.
“So as it is now, I have to wear my Adidas black tights. My fans, they collected our shoe sizes,” she said.
On the video caption, she wrote ‘abeg which country dey find athletes’ in pidgin, hinting at a nationality switch like Turkey-bound Favour Ofili.
The 15-athlete contingent will be led by Amusan as they prepare to compete against other elite athletes across various disciplines at the World Athletics Championships, which runs from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo.
