Fifteen years after winning silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, the Nigerian 4×100 meter women’s relay team has called on the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) to release to the athletes the medals won at the games.
Franca Idoko, Halimat Ismaila, Gloria Kemasonde, Oludamola Osayomi, and Agnes Osazuwa won the bronze medal 43.04 seconds behind Russia and Belgium.
The international Olympics Committee (IOC) 2016 upgraded the bronze media following the revelation of a widespread government-sponsored doping scandal by Russian athletes.
In a chat with Sports Joust, a member of the team, Ismaila, fumed at the way and manner the NOC and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) have been handling the medal issue since the medal was upgraded six years ago.
Ismaila stated: “We have sent messages to the AFN times without numbers without any response. The likes of Mary Onyali, Pat Itanyi, and Fatimah Yusuf have also tried to help us recover our medals, but they did not succeed. Other countries have received their replacement medals, and they’ve forgotten about it. Why are ours different?
“My son, after searching on Google, has been asking me when my silver medal will arrive. We have to come together and decide on what to do. We may involve the IOC if the NOC and AFN continue to handle the matter with levity.
