Aliu: ‘Anybody who is blaming age falsification by athletes on coaches is being untruthful’
President of the Athletics Coaches Association of Nigeria, Solomon Aliu, has dismissed claims that coaches are responsible for age falsification among athletes in the country, describing such accusations as untruthful.
His response came after Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) President Tonobok Okowa alleged in a radio interview that both athletes and coaches were culpable in the age falsification saga that recently drew the attention of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU.
The AIU had queried the AFN following discrepancies in the ages of 17 athletes, 16 of whom competed at the African U18 and U20 Championships in Abeokuta last year.
Speaking to The Guardian, Aliu, who also serves as AFN’s Head Coach, insisted that coaches should be absolved of blame since they work with athletes presented to them.
He argued that the federation itself must take responsibility for failing to maintain proper records, describing the controversy as more of a record-keeping problem than a coaching issue.
‘Anybody who is blaming age falsification by athletes on coaches’ doorsteps is being untruthful,’ Aliu said in the interview with he Guardian.
He explained that crime prevention requires systems that make wrongdoing difficult, stressing that if the AFN Secretariat had a functional database containing athletes’ dates of birth and other relevant details from their first competition, it would be impossible for athletes or coaches to alter records undetected.
Aliu emphasized that coaches are not record keepers and should not be scapegoated for the federation’s lapses.
He welcomed the belated National Sports Commission’s renewed seriousness in tackling age cheating and bizarrely expressed confidence that the AFN, the culprit he blamed for not keeping records, would eventually investigate thoroughly and punish those involved.
‘Until that is done, I won’t accept anybody trying to tarnish the image of our hard-working coaches. We deserve to be patted on the back and not subjected to name-calling. Heads must roll, but let the head of the innocent remain on their necks. Let us all work together in cleaning up our sports, not just of age cheats, but also of dope,’ he stated.
