Nigerian cyclist Ese Lovina Ukpeseraye received help from the German team at the Paris Olympics, highlighting ongoing negligence claims against Nigerian sports officials.
This problem arose because she was given very little notice about her participation, leaving her with no time to arrange the necessary equipment.
The German cycling team, Bund Deutscher Radfahrer, stepped in to help.
They offered Ukpeseraye a bicycle, allowing her to compete.
Grateful for the assistance, Ukpeseraye shared her experience on social media, thanking the German team for coming to her rescue.
Several athletes have spoken out about the lack of support and poor organization from Nigerian sports officials.
Favour Ofili, another Nigerian athlete, recently shared her disappointment on social media after learning she would not be competing in the 100 meters event, despite qualifying for it.
READ ALSO: D’Tigress Suffer Olympic Quarter-Final Defeat To USA
She revealed that the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) failed to submit her entry in time.
“It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what?” Ofili tweeted.
Despite this setback, Ofili did compete in the 200 meters race.
She reached the semifinals but unfortunately finished in sixth place, missing out on a spot in the final.
Annette Echikunwoke, a Nigerian-born hammer thrower, had a similar experience during the Tokyo Olympics.
She was supposed to represent Nigeria but couldn’t because the AFN failed to arrange the necessary drug tests and provide athlete whereabouts information.
Echikunwoke shared that she had provided her location for testing multiple times, but the officials never showed up.
Frustrated Echikunwoke eventually decided to represent the United States instead.
At the Paris Olympics, she won a silver medal in the women’s hammer throw, making history as the first American woman to do so and setting a new national record.
