Editorial: Nigeria’s Kit Shame at the World Athletics Championships is a National Embarrassment
By any measure, Nigeria’s presence at the 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan should be a moment of pride.
The Nigerian team has Tobi Amusan, a former World champion, reigning World record holder and three-time Diamond trophy winner. The team also has one of the most talked about athlete in the world today in person of Nathaniel Ezekiel who has dazzled the world in the 400m hurdles, and of course Ese Brume, the multiple global medalists.
Instead, it has become a symbol of mismanagement, and the endemic disrespect shown to our athletes. The recent revelation by Amusan, via a video on social media, that Nigerian athletes were handed incomplete kits, without spikes, trainers, warm-up gear, or even a competition bag, is not just disappointing. It is disgraceful.
While athletes from other nations arrived fully equipped with professionally packed kit bags designed to support peak performance, Nigerian representatives were left scrambling with two pairs of basic items and no essentials.
No spikes. No warm-up tracksuits. No recovery tools. No dignity. This is not just a logistical failure, it’s a betrayal of the very athletes who carry our flag on the world stage.
Let’s be clear: this is not a one off. It is the result of years of negligence and secrecy within the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
In 2019, Nigeria signed a kit sponsorship deal with Puma. But instead of transparency, the contract was buried in secrecy. Only two officials claimed knowledge of the deal, citing a non-disclosure agreement that excluded even board members.
They insisted the deal had no monetary value until Puma itself clarified that all fees had been paid. The kits were never delivered to the AFN Secretary General, who, by the federation’s constitution, is the official custodian of such agreements.
Since then, the AFN has failed to initiate or even discuss new kit sponsorships. For over four years, there has been no public conversation, no strategic planning, and no accountability.
Nigerian athletes have been forced to wash kits between events, borrow gear, or compete without the basic tools their peers take for granted. It is international ridicule, and it is entirely avoidable.
This editorial is not just a condemnation, it is a call to action. Nigerian athletes deserve better. They deserve a federation that prioritizes their welfare, that understands the importance of preparation, and that treats them with the respect their talent commands. Kit sponsorship is not a luxury; it is a necessity. It is the bare minimum.
If the AFN cannot secure partnerships with global brands like Adidas, Nike, or Puma, if it cannot deliver kits to its athletes without drama or diversion, then it must be restructured.
The culture of secrecy, favoritism, and incompetence must end. Our athletes are not just competitors; they are ambassadors. And they should never be made to feel like beggars on the world stage.
Tobi Amusan spoke out. Others will follow. The question now is: will the AFN listen, or will it continue to fail the very people who make Nigerian athletics matter?
To stakeholders, the AFN, as presently constituted, is not equipped with the personnel to make that change.
In 1999, Nigerian athletes, courtesy FILA, were not only properly kitted to major international Championships like the World indoor and outdoor Championships in Maebashi, Japan and Sevilla, Spain respectively, but also to the Olympic Games in Sydney.
Part of the monies received as sponsorship fees was used to pay athletes, both home and foreign-based training grants, unlike the present board going around doing ‘fine bara’ and waiting for government money.
