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Nigerian female bobsledder lodges gender complaint
Nigerian monobob and skeleton competitor Simidele Adeagbo is used to tackling challenges head on. Now she is taking on another – alleging gender discrimination within the Beijing Olympics.Adeagbo has lodged a formal complaint with the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation – known as IBSF – claiming gender discrimination in the number of spots allocated to men and women at the Games.In a letter to the IBSF obtained by Reuters, lawyers for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympian said she was excluded from the 2022 Olympic monobob event by a single spot.The letter stated there is “an insidious and wilful gender disparity in the number of sled spots made available for men and women.””It’s really highly frustrating. I have made so much progress just seeing how I’ve grown and develop in the sport, and I want it to be right there competing with the best in the world. And so it’s really frustrating to have that cut short, not because of anything that I did or any, you know, lack of talent or skill, but simply because the rules in place are unlawful and discriminatory.”The monobob was introduced to the Olympic program for the Beijing Games with the intention of bolstering the number of women who can compete in the bobsleigh events. Men are allocated 28 spots in the four-man bobsleigh event and 30 spots in the two-man.Women meanwhile are allotted 20 spots in the monobob and 20 in the two-person bobsleigh.Adeagbo, who is the first African athlete to have won an international bobsleigh event, believes she would be at the Games now if the rules were different. “There’s enough high calibre athletes. I mean, there were enough that were on this list to fill the spots that were available, but instead people are being, women are being left at home.” The IBSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.