The Nigerian men’s 4x400m relay team has been disqualified from competing in the final of the event at the 2024 Olympics.

After the Nigerian women’s 4x400m relay team crashed out of the event on Thursday, most sports enthusiasts in Nigeria were expecting the men’s team to earn Nigeria its first 2024 Paris Olympics medal.

Recall that the men’s relay team, which comprised Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathanial, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie, initially secured a spot in the final after finishing second in their heat behind France, achieving a season’s best time of 2:59.81.

However, their hopes were dashed when they were disqualified for stepping on the line during their heat. Reports claimed that South African athletes were the ones that made the official complaint, which was looked into and sanctioned against Nigeria by the Olympic committee.

As a result of their disqualification, Belgium has moved up to second position, and South Africa has stepped up to third position.

This outcome is a disappointment for the Nigerian team, who had aspired to replicate the success of the 2000 and 2004 teams that won gold and bronze in Sydney and Athens respectively.

The development happened before Nigeria’s best prospect for a 2024 Olympics medal, Tobi Amusan failed to qualify for the final of the 100m hurdles earlier today. Hence, Team Nigeria are still without a medal with less than two days to the end of the tournament.