Sport

All Set for Abeokuta 10 kilometer Race

By Web News 513

By Olusegun Folarin

Arrangements have been concluded to ensure a hitch free Abeokuta 10 kilometer race slated for Saturday, 9th September 2023.

The Technical Director of the race, Dr Yusuf Alli who stated this at the SWAN Secretariat during a media parley security operatives, and other logistics had been made towards the success of the race.

Dr Alli, a three-time Olympian said part of the measures to checkmate cheating during the race included the deployment of 60 technical officials to strategic location for the race.

The 10 kilometer Abeokuta race technical director announced that the race the race would be flagged off at Iyana Oloke at 8am by governor Dapo Abiodun  and the President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN.

Dr Alli appreciated commended the renewed vigour of former Sports Commissioner in Ogun state, Chief  Bukola Olopade for to stage long distance races in the country which he said was in accordance with the international standards.

The Project Manager, Mr Seyi Johnson  said the first elite runner to reach the finish line will get  5,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars will go for the 2nd placed athlete, the third placed elite athlete will get 1,000 dollars.

He said the sum of one million naira would be given to any Nigerian athlete that got to finish line first, the second and third placed teams would go home with 750 and 5 hundred thousand naira respectively.

Chief Olopade in a remark explained that the idea of prize money for Nigerian athletes was to encouraged more participations of local athletes in the race.

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Sport

Government needs to provide an enabling environment for sports – Dr Alli

By Web News 670

Former Team Nigeria Captain, Dr Yusuf Alli has called on government at all levels to enact a policy that will make athletics compulsory for all primary and secondary school pupils.

Dr Alli made the call in while delivering a lecture entitled “The Downturn of Nigeria’s Athletics Fortunes” at the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN Week in Abeokuta.

The retired long jumper who is also the General Manager of Lagos City Marathon expressed worry over showing too much attention on the elite athletes at the expense of young and promising Nigerian athletes, said such trend must stop.

He said for Nigeria to return to the golden era, government must ensure the return of school sports from primary to university levels as well as ensure adequate facilities for the athletes to train with.

Dr Alli who also identified lack of funds as one of the reasons athletics had remained stagnant in country solicited the support of the stakeholders especially sports journalists towards the revival of the athletics fortune in the country.

In a remark, a board member, Federal Character Commission, Mr Abiodun Akinlade who was represented by a director in the commission, Mr Ademuyiwa Adeniran described sports as a veritable income-generating engagement that could contribute immensely to the growth of the nation’s economy.

Mr Akinlade said there was need to continue to remind the government of its roles at providing sports infrastructure, funding and regulatory framework that would engender an enabling environment for sports to flourish.

Earlier, the Ogun State Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Alhaji Hakeem Akintunde said the association would continue to engage key stakeholders in the sports sector in its efforts to develop sports in the country.

Olusegun Folarin