WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FALLOUT
*Athletes want own rep to resign
Reigning African triple jump champion Tosin Oke has accused Sunday Adeleye, the athletes representative on the board of the new Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) of ejecting him from his hotel room in London during the IAAF World Championships early this month.
In an email to the AFN at the weekend, Oke narrated how Adeleye who is on the board of the AFN to protect the interest of the athletes drove him out of the hotel room he shared with quarter-miler Nathaniel Samson around 10 pm on Friday August 11, two days to the end of the championships with clearly no justifiable reason.
”I can confirm that I was asked to leave my room in the Double tree by Hilton, by the athletes’ representative on the 11th August at 22:07pm,’Oke wrote in the email.
Oke further affirmed in the email: ”I was out with some friends when he called and asked if I was in the hotel. I replied no, and he asked me to call him back upon my return. I said it may be very late, and is it urgent? He explained his request as follows: “There are more
athletes coming into the hotel, and the Federation is racking up hotel bills.”Can I ask you to leave the room, as you live in London.’ I said okay, no problem, and immediately proceeded to the hotel to collect my stuff.
“On my arrival into the hotel, I saw the athlete rep with the AFN Secretary, I greeted them, and said I am here to collect my things. He said okay, he will wait for me in the lobby. When I got to my room, I noticed my roommate Samson Nathaniel had already departed from it. I promptly packed up my stuff, and handed my keys to the athlete
representative as I departed the hotel,” alleged the triple jumper.
Meanwhile, some athletes have demanded for the resignation of Adeleye, one of the candidates tipped for the very important position of technical committee chairman of the AFN.
Writing on the Nigerian Athletics Incorporated page on Facebook, Himah Charles believes Adeleye has betrayed the trust of athletes he is expected to protect their interest while Okey Eziuka could not believe why athletes voted for the man popularly called Fela in the first place when he was not qualified to contest for the position as spelt
out in the electoral guidelines.
Nicholas Osikhena Imhoaperamhe joined others to call for Adeleye’s resignation as athletes representative saying he has failed the simplest of tests, that of protecting the interest of athletes.
