AFN Panel Recommends Bans for 15 Athletes in Age-Cheating Scandal
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Investigative Committee on Athletes Age Discrepancy has reportedly recommended strong sanctions following the conclusion of its age-cheating inquiry.
This followed the Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU’s December 2, 2025, letter to the Federation to explain why 17 athletes, 16 of whom competed at the African U18 and U20 Championships last year in Abeokuta, Ogun state had multiple dates of birth.
The AFN Investigative Committee on Athletes Age Discrepancy, largely made up of its Executive Board Members, according to a source at the AFN Secretariat, submitted its recommendations to the President of the Federation, Tonobok Ojuru Okowa early this week.
In its recommendations, the panel emphasized the need to protect sporting integrity, ensure fair competition, safeguard Nigeria’s image, and align with international best practices.
It urged the AFN Executive Board to adopt a formal Age-Eligibility and Integrity Sanctions Framework to provide consistent and transparent enforcement going forward.
The panel found 15 athletes (names withheld) culpable of age falsification, multiple registrations, or participation with inconsistent age records.
It ruled that they should be suspended from AFN-sanctioned competitions for two years, stripped of medals, titles, rankings, and prize money won at youth events, and required to undergo mandatory re-registration with verified documentation such as international passports, birth certificates, and national identification numbers.
They will also be barred from future age-grade competitions until compliance is met.
In one aggravated case, where an athlete willfully presented a falsified birth certificate, the panel recommended a three-year ban. Two athletes were cleared of wrongdoing after investigations found no evidence against them.
The AFN stressed that these sanctions are not ad hoc but part of a broader effort to institutionalize deterrence and compliance, ensuring that age manipulation is decisively addressed in Nigerian athletics.
