Uzbekistan, through the world wrestling body FILA, has decided to bar Nigeria and four other African countries from featuring in the 2014 Senior World Wrestling Championships holding in Tashkent, Uzbekistan due to the reported cases of the Ebola Virus Disease in the affected countries.
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Congo DR are the other countries barred from the championships and the FILA Congress holding this month in the European country. The restriction will also deny the African officials from contesting the FILA Bureau elections which hold at the same venue. The championships hold from September 8 to 14, while the elections are set for September 7.
President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, protested the decision, urging the international wrestling body to reconsider its decision as he cited a number of adverse effects such position might have on the wrestlers and the national associations.
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