The Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s (AFN) selection of athletes for the 2026 Commonwealth Games has come under intense scrutiny following claims that only 12 of the 29 athletes invited to camp actually participated in the national trials held in Lagos.

AFN Executive Board member Lekan Soetan raised concerns over the selection process after the federation released its Commonwealth Games camp list, which includes several athletes who did not compete at the trials despite earlier indications that participation would be a key requirement for selection.

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Among those named are world record holder Tobi Amusan, long jump star Ese Brume, sprint sensation Kanyinsola Ajayi, all of whom missed the Lagos trials but secured places in the squad preparing for the Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“The release of this 29-athlete Commonwealth Games camp list raises a fundamental question: what exactly was the purpose of the National Trials in Lagos?” Soetan queried.

According to him, only about 12 of the invited athletes competed at the trials, while several others who travelled from within and outside Nigeria, competed successfully and in some cases emerged as national champions or medalists, were left out of the final camp list.

Soetan stressed that the issue is not the inclusion of elite athletes with proven international credentials.

“No reasonable person would argue against the inclusion of proven world-class athletes such as Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Kanyinsola Ajayi and other established international performers. Nigeria’s objective at the Commonwealth Games should be to field its strongest medal prospects,” he said.

However, he argued that if rankings, previous performances, international experience, medal potential, injury exemptions and visa-related challenges were always going to play a major role in selection, the federation should have clearly communicated those criteria before staging the trials.

The AFN had earlier maintained that athletes seeking Commonwealth Games selection must participate in the Lagos trials held at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex.

Many athletes, according to Soetan, returned from the United States and other countries at personal expense, despite difficult visa and travel conditions, believing that their performances at the trials would significantly influence selection.

“The publication of this list suggests otherwise,” he stated.
In explaining the selections, the AFN said the squad was chosen based on performances at the national trials and the current records of athletes who were unable to attend because of visa-related issues.

“The athletes were drawn from the results of the just concluded national trials at the Yabatech Sports Complex in Lagos and current records of other athletes who were not able to make it to the Lagos trials because of visa issues,” the federation said in its statement.

Soetan maintained that the controversy is ultimately about transparency, fairness and expectation management rather than the identities of the athletes selected.

“If the majority of the team had already been identified based on rankings, previous performances and international achievements, then the federation should have openly communicated that reality before the competition,” he said.

He suggested that the AFN could have published a list of automatic qualifiers and exempted athletes before the trials, while clearly outlining the number of places available through competition.

For many stakeholders, the final list has raised questions about the relevance of the Lagos trials and whether the outcomes genuinely influenced the selection process.

“National Trials should either be genuine selection competitions or be honestly presented as evaluation events. They cannot be promoted as one and operated as the other,” Soetan concluded.