IAAF

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has rejected the USA-born duo of sprinter, Asumnu Ogechi Gloria and quarter-miler, Mayungbe Ibukun Blessing as eligible athletes to compete for Nigeria at the 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics which begins this weekend in Daegu, South Korea.

The two athletes, who hold dual citizenship of both the United States of America and Nigeria, were originally entered to compete for the Nigeria by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

But IAAF said at the weekend that both Asumnu and Mayungbe will not be eligible to wear the Nigeria green colour until June 23, 2013.

However, Chinwe Okoro who did not make the team to Daegu has been cleared to begin to compete for Nigeria from August 4, 2011.

“The fact that both athletes are still listed as representing the USA on IAAF website should have alarmed the AFN officials who should have done a proper check before sending Nigeria's final list to the IAAF and save the country this embarrassment,” said many athletics observers Monday after it was revealed that IAAF has rejected the duo of Asumnu and Mayungbe.

Both athletes are also ineligible to compete for Nigeria at next month's 10th All Africa Games in Maputo while it remains to be seen what the AFN will do to the result achieved by the athlete at the last national championships, the Nigeria/Cross River State Track and Field Championships last June in Calabar.

Meanwhile the duo of Mrs Maria Wophil, Secretary General of the AFN and erstwhile president of the federation, Mrs Violet Odogwu-Nwajei have been confirmed as the only two Nigerians vying for seats on the IAAF Women's Committee and Cross Country Committee respectively.

Wophil, a former national handball star has been one of the longest serving secretary generals the AFN has ever had and very popular among international athletics administrators while Odogwu-Nwajei, the first Nigerian nay African woman to win a field event medal at the Commonwealth Games is one of the vice-presidents of the African Athletics Confederations (AAC)