World Athletics Rule 3.3: AFN, Athletes Face Sanctions for Systemic Eligibility Violations
Stakeholders demand Presidential action as AFN crisis deepens
Sportsnow.com.ng can authoritatively reveal today that both the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the athletes will be sanctioned if the Nigerian federation cannot explain why it failed in its oversight and constitutional duty of vetting the ages of athletes it presents for World Athletics-sanctioned competitions, in accordance with World Athletics Rule 3.3 on eligibility.
The rule is explicit: if an athlete competes when not eligible, both the athlete and the team they represent are disqualified, with all medals, titles, points, prize money and appearance fees forfeited.
When such violations become systemic, as repeated alerts to the AFN now suggest, sanctions escalate to include suspension of the federation from entering athletes in sanctioned competitions, financial penalties, and loss of hosting rights.
The latest query, contained in a letter dated December 2, 2025, marks the third time in less than two years that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has flagged Nigeria over age discrepancies.
The first came on June 7, 2024, when four athletes were identified with multiple dates of birth. By early 2025, the number had risen to 12. Now, a fresh 17 athletes have been flagged, including 16 from the African U18 and U20 Championships held in Abeokuta last May.
The AIU has demanded that the AFN provide passports, birth certificates, medical records, school documents, etc to verify the athletes’ true ages.
The repeated queries have brought global shame on Nigeria, with the country increasingly viewed as unable to enforce basic eligibility standards. International observers warn that Nigeria risks being barred from future competitions if the AFN fails to provide credible documentation.
Critics argue that the crisis has been worsened by the National Sports Commission (NSC), which reinstated the same AFN leadership that presided over the first age-fraud allegations in 2024.
The Commission is yet to set up any panel of enquiry to investigate why the AFN has repeatedly violated World Athletics eligibility rules.
Critics further argue the President under whose tenure the repeated violations have occurred, the Secretary General who should enforce as the administrative head of the federation, and the Technical Director under whose authority lies the upholding of World Athletics eligibility and technical rules, have not been held accountable.
With Nigeria’s athletics program now facing possible suspension, stakeholders insist they have lost confidence in the ability of the National Sports Commission (NSC) to intervene, as the Commission appears to be complicit in the scandalous revelations.
They are therefore calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene directly to restore not only Nigeria’s honour but also its credibility, protect young athletes, and prevent the country from being further isolated in global athletics.
