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Tobi Amusan’s kit complaint at the 2025 Worlds brought Nigeria’s athlete welfare problems back into the spotlight.
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Officials pushed back against any wrongdoing claims.
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The dispute revealed ongoing equipment issues and the basic need for athlete respect.
Tobi Amusan’s sharp criticism of Nigeria’s kit distribution at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo has reignited familiar arguments about how the country treats its athletes.
Also Read: World Championships: Tobi Amusan Slams Nigerian Officials Over Nylon Kit Bags
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The former world champion didn’t hold back when she questioned both the packaging and contents of what Nigerian competitors received, prompting officials to quickly defend their procurement choices.
Hours before the championships began, Amusan shared a video on her Snapchat showing Nigerian athletes getting their gear in basic nylon bags rather than proper suitcases.
She also pointed out that shoes were nowhere to be found, despite officials collecting everyone’s sizes beforehand.
Her blunt, public complaint hit hard because she’s still one of Nigeria’s biggest track stars and has never shied away from calling out poor treatment of athletes.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) pushed back fast against any suggestion that athletes got shortchanged.
AFN President Tonobok Okowa told reporters that all competitors, Amusan included, received complete kits through the federation’s partnership with HiRacer, the global sportswear company outfitting athletes across the Tokyo event.
Officials insist they handled travel arrangements and special accommodations for top performers correctly.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) jumped into the fray too.
NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko argued in an interview that the real issue wasn’t gear quality but how everything was presented and handed out.
“The kits aren’t inferior. I thought the AFN should have been praised for quickly getting the transaction with HiRacer,” – he said.
He pointed out that other countries use the same HiRacer equipment and suggested the whole uproar might’ve been about packaging more than actual materials.
“If you look at other countries, they’re also using similar kits from HiRacer. It’s just probably about the packaging because it wasn’t put in a box or bought in bulk like others are doing,” – he explained.
But this argument runs deeper than surface complaints.
Nigeria has been hammered repeatedly over uniforms and equipment at big events.
There were gripes at Tokyo 2020, sponsorship fights in 2021, and kits arriving late before the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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These past problems make it easy for both the public and athletes to approach any new controversy with suspicion.
Amusan’s fierce pushback has forced people to look again at how supplies get managed and whether anyone’s actually learned from previous mistakes.
For many watching, this goes way beyond a nylon bag or missing shoes.
It’s about having clear procurement systems, getting logistics right, and showing respect for athletes who carry the country’s flag on the world stage.
Going forward, officials need to focus on transparent communication and better presentation when delivering kits so athletes actually feel supported.
More than that, administrators have to make sure promised items – competition uniforms, performance shoes, bonuses – get delivered and verified before anyone travels.
That’s the only way to rebuild trust and get everyone focused back on what happens on the track.
