Nigeria Jump Star:Mike Edwards

Edwards wants to be the first male Nigerian high jumper at the Commonwealth Games in more than 50 years.

With the Commonwealth games 2018 around the corner starting on April 4 in gold coast Australia,
Former British high jump indoor champion Nigerian born Mike Edwards may not be allowed to represent nigeria. This is because of the latest IAAF rule of nationality switch released in 2017

He has therefore accused the IAAF of cowardice with the rules of athletics' governing body set to bar him from representing Nigeria at the Gold Coast 2018 Games.

The 27-year-old arrived on the Gold Coast as part of the Nigerian team but is ineligible to compete because he represented Britain at the European Junior Championships in 2009.

Edwards, born in Manchester but has a Nigerian mother and citizenship, has protested against his situation at the athletes' village.

"It was nine years ago - it is a worse sentence that a drug cheat gets," he told BBC Sport.

"I am walking around the village with my Nigerian kit and unsure if I can even walk in the stadium and represent.

"It is nearly a decade since I last competed in an international championship, I feel I am being robbed of that opportunity right in front of my eyes.

"I am willing to protest every day in the village. I will do it until I receive a call from [IAAF president] Seb Coe. If he can't do that he is a coward.

"As a fellow athlete, he can't hide behind his desk - that is heartless."

Athletes have in the past transferred nationalities.

He quoted Ramil Guliyev competed at the same European Junior Championships as Edwards in 2009 winning gold for Azerbaijan, but took the world 200m title in London last year under the Turkish flag.

However, the process for switching nations was stopped in February 2017 with the IAAF citing concerns over the exploitation of young African athletes, and has not resumed.

He won the British Indoor title in February and was successfully released by the British Athletics.

The IAAF claims, however, that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria only got in contact on Friday, emailing the governing body a copy of Edwards' Nigerian passport with no further message.

It insists that he would not be able to jump for Nigeria regardless.

"The transfer of allegiance is still frozen in cases where an athlete has represented an IAAF member federation in international competition," read a statement.

"Given these circumstances, under current IAAF rules, he is not eligible to represent another country."

Courtesy: BBC Sports