Written by Athletics Podium staff
A few days before she retired from the heptathlon event during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, the Belgian triple Olympic champion Nafi Thiam rocked the community by her unveiling. She tearfully accused the Federation in a press conference and said, "Five days before departure, I received an email from the federation stating that because I hadn't signed the code of conduct, my pre-camp hadn't been validated and therefore no reservation had been made for me." The 31-year-old star also added that her physiotherapist was not accredited for the championships, which are normally submitted by the national federation staff.
Thiam believes the tension was between herself and the Belgian Federation about refusing to sign the Federation's code of conduct, due to disagreements regarding image rights, as she has conflicting sponsors with those of the national team. She said the decision prevented her from the camps. Thiam has been endorsed by Nike for years, and the Belgian Federation has signed with ASICS as the national team kit supplier starting from 2025.
FEDERATION DENIAL
After this furious statement from Nafi Thiam, the Belgian Federation responsed with President Jessica Mayon accusing her of lying. "It's absolutely untrue that she was not welcome," Mayon told Belgian media outlets in Tokyo. "I have written proof that what she says isn't true. She received an email promising that someone from the Federation was willing to do anything for her at the training camp. Of course, she was welcome there. She had received financial support like all other Belgian team members."
NEW STATEMENT
With the frustration of the World Champs, Nafi Thiam continued to speak out. She made a public statement on her social media channels and pointing out hat she was only aware of the code of conduct by the Federation as of August 6 and there was no agreement between the parties before Tokyo 2025. She repeated her pre-camp wasn't validated and informed and her confirmation had not been made just five days before her Tokyo departure.
She added, "After being called a liar on national TV a couple days before my competition, because I spoke up about what was happening. I am relieved that the truth has come out".
The numerous support messages poured onto her timeline, and one of them was from former world champion Dina Asher-Smith, who expressed her feelings with a message: "Cannot believe that your federation is treating you like this. Especially when they're meant to be your biggest champions - supporting and working hard to help you achieve your dreams and making your nation proud... not “making an example” of you a few weeks before a major Champs. Absolutely insane."
