The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has launched its toughest crackdown yet on age falsification, imposing sweeping sanctions on 21 athletes, several coaches, and two state athletics associations following an investigation into irregularities at the 2025 African U-18 and U-20 Championships in Abeokuta.
The sanctions followed the findings of a special investigative panel set up on December 9, 2025, after Nigeria was flagged by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics over suspected age discrepancies among its youth athletes earlier in the month.
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According to the panel’s report, multiple athletes were found to have registered and competed using inconsistent ages, with no credible justification. Investigators concluded that the discrepancies were largely facilitated at the state and coaching level.
“The Committee finds that the following athletes did, in fact, register and/or participate in competitions with different ages without any legitimate explanation other than they were registered by their coach, teammate, or state,” the panel stated.
Ogun State and Delta State were specifically singled out after several of the implicated athletes were linked to either training, coaching, or representation in the two states. Some had also previously been queried by the AIU, raising concerns about systemic failures in age verification.
As part of its recommendations, the panel proposed a ₦2.5 million fine for each of the two states, a formal public reprimand, and the threat of suspension from future Youth Games or National Sports Festival events should further violations occur.
The panel also pushed for structural reforms, including the immediate creation of a centralised age-verification and athlete registry system, mandatory annual age audits for youth competitions, and a compulsory code of conduct for athletes, coaches, and federation staff.
The AFN confirmed that all recommendations have now been implemented.
In a statement signed by AFN Media Committee Chairman, Maxwell Kumoye, the federation said the sanctions were deliberately firm to send a clear message.
“Sanctions were wide-ranging and severe. Athletes found guilty were disqualified, results were wiped from the books, and periods of ineligibility were imposed,” the statement read.
“Coaches and support personnel who enabled or facilitated violations were also sanctioned, while states with a history of age cheating did not escape scrutiny.”
The federation said the measures were part of a broader effort to restore credibility to Nigerian athletics and protect genuine youth development pathways.
AFN officials stressed that the era of turning a blind eye to age fraud is over, warning that future violations would attract even harsher penalties.
 has launched its toughest crackdown yet on age falsification, imposing sweeping sanctions on 21 athletes, several coaches, and two state athletics associations following an investigation into irregularities at the 2025 African U-18 and U-20 Championships in Abeokuta.){kind=link}