Athlete didn’t attend closing ceremony after not being provided clothes in his size
An athlete representing Nigeria has revealed he wasn't able to attend the Olympics closing ceremony after clothing wasn't provided in his size.
Last night (11 August) saw the Paris 2024 Games draw to a close with a four hour spectacle, which saw athletes from all competing countries take part in the celebrations.
The representatives all donned uniforms representing their respective countries, however, Nigerian shotputter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi was unable to take part in the celebrations as he wasn't provided with a uniform that fitted him.
Taking to Instagram, Enekwechi revealed that his absence from the celebrations at the Stade de France was down to lack of adequate clothing.
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"No closing ceremony for me, clothes were not provided in my size," the Olympian wrote on his Instagram Stories, alongside a crying laughing emoji and the declaration that: "I'm not THAT big."
Enekwechi had been representing Nigeria in the men's shot put, finishing in sixth place behind athletes from the United States and Jamaica.
This isn't the first time the 6'6" athlete has struggled to get the correctly sized clothes at an international event, with Enekwechi revealing that he had to wash and rewear his jersey at Tokyo 2020.
In a now TikTok deleted video Enekwechi can be seen scrubbing his shirt in the sink, alongside the caption: "When you made the Olympic finals but you only have one jersey."
Nigerian Olympics fans weren't impressed by the news that Enekwechi had missed out on attending the closing ceremony, with many sharing their disappointment on social media over the fact that this has now happened twice to the 31-year-old.
"So, they did him dirty twice? 2 different Olympic games! This is sickening," one person remarked, while a second added: "Here we go again..."
"I knew this sounded familiar, I remember when they did similar thing to him at the last Olympics and it was trending online, just look at! Twice! Back to back," a third person added.
Meanwhile cyclist Ese Lovina Ukpeseraye had to loan a bike from the German team after a late call-up to the women's sprint and keirin events.
"Due to the short notice of me competing at the keirin & sprint," she wrote on X, adding that in the German team had offered her a bike in the 'spirit of sportsmanship'.
Nigeria's sports minister John Owan Enoh later the said that the situation had been 'unavoidable' due to the country's late addition to the event.
Explaining that Team Nigeria had been offered the spot last minute after another country was disqualified, he wrote: "For this track race reallocated to Team Nigeria, a very special equipment (approved specifically for the Olympic track game) is used.
"It'll take months to have it delivered after ordering and making payment."
Topics: Olympics, Social Media
Brenna Cooper