Bizarre: NSC Links Athletes’ Protest to Non-Qualification for Commonwealth Games

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has suggested that the protest staged by athletes decamped from the Commonwealth Games training camp in Asaba was less about unpaid allowances and more about disappointment over non-qualification for the Games.

NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, in an interview with The Guardian, said it was ‘unfair’ for athletes to accuse the Commission and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) of poor treatment.

He insisted that each athlete received about ₦170,000, not the ₦75,000 claimed by protesters, and maintained that they were properly housed, fed, and monitored throughout their six-week stay in camp.

‘I want the athletes to realize that the fact they couldn’t make the cut for the Commonwealth Games is not the end of their career. They have to work harder because they may be called upon in the build-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics,’ Olopade was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

His remarks, however, raised eyebrows, as Nigeria has yet to conduct its Commonwealth Games trials and the qualification window remains open. Critics argue that it is premature for the NSC to conclude that the athletes will not qualify.