By Esther Egbe
Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has queried the list of athletes for the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco released by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
The list came under heavy condemnation over the inclusion of Okagbare and other overseas-based athletes, who shunned the 2019 All-Nigeria Track and Field Championships in Kaduna.
Among the overseas-based athletes who stayed away from the trials but were on the 51-man list are Blessing Okagbare, Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Doreen Amata, Divine Oduduru, Ogho-Oghene Egwero and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi.
The just-concluded national championships served as the trials for athletes who will represent Nigeria at the 2019 African Games in Casablanca, Morocco and the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Okagbare concluded that hinted that many of the athletes might have shunned the national championships over non-payment of grants by the AFN.