Commonwealth Games: How ‘African Time’ led to Team Nigeria para lifters disqualification
Tijani and Mark were left distraught, tears rolling down their cheeks when they were informed by officials they had missed a routine pre-event check-in.
Team Nigeria power lifters Latifat Tijani and Gift Onyinyechi Mark were disqualified because they arrived late for the pre-competition briefing according to officials.
Tijani and Mark were left distraught, tears rolling down their cheeks when they were informed by officials they had missed a routine pre-event check-in.
Tijani won a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics and was tipped for more success in Birmingham.
Both athletes, who compete in wheelchairs, were of the understanding they needed to check in by 2 pm for their event at 3 pm.
Nigerian officials say the pair arrived at 1.55 pm, with the knowledge that normally for these kinds of events the cut-off is an hour before.
However, a statement from the technical delegate disputes that version of events, saying they arrived at 2.10 pm.
Either way, it was irrelevant, because the athletes were actually supposed to be present at 1.45 pm.
The problem was a different Nigerian official, who attended a technical meeting held on August 1 to discuss such logistics, forgot to pass on the new information to the athletes that they had to be there at 1.45 pm.
One small communication breakdown crushed their dreams right before their eyes.
Despite the minor error, the sport’s inflexible rules played out in an ugly and heartbreaking fashion.
“It’s sad for the athletes,” said Nigeria’s media officer Oluwatoyin Ibitoye. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to compete and try and win and better their record. That opportunity is gone.
“You feel for them because you know what they have done.
“They have done hours of preparation and training for a moment like this and then [getting disqualified on] technical grounds ... it’s not happening.”
Nigeria appealed the disqualification to the International Paralympic Committee but Tijani and Mark were powerless.
They were too upset to do interviews and were spotted being consoled by team members hours later while other events took place.
