Athletics
Tokyo Olympics: Nigeria relay teams should go for broke at Lagos meet – AFN official
The chairman of the Lagos State Athletics Association, Solomon Alao, has charged the Nigeria Relay teams to go all out and get the required qualification standard for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Alao, the member of the newly constituted Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) board, said the athletes have what it takes to qualify and should give it their all on Thursday at the Lagos Open Athletics Meet billed for the Teslim Balogun Stadium. “They should all go out and get the needed times because we are all looking forward to them getting the time for the Olympics,” the Lagos State Athletics boss told journalists. “I want to appreciate the Lagos State Government led by his Excellency, Babajide Sanwoolu, for supporting the AFN in hosting the countries in Nigeria for the relays. “The most im...
South African long jumper gets four-year ban for anti-doping violation
Olympic long jump silver medallist Luvo Manyonga is set to miss the Tokyo Games after being banned for four years for a second anti-doping rule violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday. The 30-year-old South African’s ban has been backdated to Dec. 23, when he was provisionally suspended, and he will be eligible to compete again from Dec. 23, 2024 – meaning he will also not be eligible for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Manyonga, who was previously banned for 18 months over the presence of methamphetamine in a sample, was charged with an anti-doping rule violation for missing a test on Nov. 26, 2019, and two filing failures in April and October last year. World Athletics rules define any combination of three missed tests and/or filing failures within a 12-month period as a...
Minister charges para-athletics team to be worthy ambassadors
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has charged Nigerian Para-Athletics team to Notwil, Switzerland, to be worthy ambassadors of the country as they seek to qualify for the 2020 Paralympics taking place in Tokyo, Japan later in the year. The minister gave the charge when he bade farewell to the team for the qualifiers through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He said: “Nigeria is solidly behind your bid for qualification for the Para-Athletics event in Notwil, Switzerland. There is no doubt about your abilities, which you have always proved over the years. You must be worthy ambassadors of our dear country by conducting yourselves well to attain the best standards for qualifiers. “Don’t be distracted; Nigerians are solidly behind you. You have always made ...
NSF: 8,000 athletes, others to undergo coronavirus protocols – minister
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the 20th National Sports Festival in Edo will go ahead as planned from April 2 to April 14 under strict COVID-19 protocols. Dare also said that the reduced 8,000 athletes and officials for the Games would go through all the necessary COVID-19 protocols. The minister’s Special Adviser (Media), John Joshua-Akanji, quoted him as giving the assurance on Friday in Benin after a facility tour of the venue and meeting with Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo. Dare said the camp for the festival would open on April 2 while the official opening of the Games would be done by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 6. He said that said that the ministry was working with relevant health stakeholders to ensure that the COVID-19 safety protocols were observ...
Minister: National Sports Festival will go ahead in April
The 20th National Sports Festival billed for Edo State will go ahead as planned from April 2 to April 14, Minister of Sports Development and Youth, Sunday Dare, said. Dare also said the 8,000 athletes and officials participating in the Games would go through all the necessary COVID-19 protocols. Dare spoke in Benin after a facility tour of the venue and meeting with Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo. Dare said the camp for the festival would open on April 2 while the official opening of the Games would be done by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 6. He said that said that the ministry was working with relevant health stakeholders to ensure that the COVID-19 safety protocols were observed. “We are working closely with the PTF, NCDC and others to ensure that the necessary support we need in terms...
Diamond League: Ese Brume finishes second In Doha
The reigning African women Long Jump champion, Ese Brume, recorded an impressive outing at the Doha Diamond League on Friday. The Nigerian finished second in the Women’s Long jump event after a commendable leap of 6.68m (+0.4m/s) in the final. Brume had recorded a Season’s Best (SB) of 6.71m (+0.4) in the 4th round of the competition but her final jump was used in determining her final position going by newly introduced rules. Brume who won Nigeria’s only medal at the last World Championships held also in Doha has been starved of competition due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was World Silver medallist, Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, who won the women’s long jump event having soared to a SB of 6.91m (+0.6) in her final try. Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia who was the top seed going into the contest, jumpe...
Sports ministry denies appointing new AFN chief
The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has denied appointing Mr. People S.Y Pepple as Director-General for the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), warning the sporting public, MDAs and law enforcement agencies not to do business with him. This was made known in a press statement issued by the Permanent Secretary Youth and Sports Development Mr. Gabriel Aduda, saying such designation does not exist in the 38 National Sporting Federations. The statement reads: “This is to bring to the notice of the sporting public, MDAs and law enforcement agencies the impersonation of the Office of the Secretary General of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) by one Mr. Pepple S.Y. who claims to be the Director General of the Federation. “Nigeria has 38 National Sporting Federations under the supe...
Sunday Adeleye reacts as court reinstates Ibrahim Gusau as AFN president
Sunday Adeleye, the Technical Director of AFN has reacted to the court verdict that sacked Hon Olamide George and reinstated Ibrahim Gusau as the AFN President. The Federal High Court Abuja has affirmed that Engr. Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau remains the president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) while sacking the board led by Olamide George. In his ruling on Wednesday, July 1, Hon. Justice A. I. Chikere said that only the President of the athletics federation had the powers to call a congress and appoint a Technical Director. The court, therefore, nullified the purported suspension and subsequent impeachment of Gusau as well as all other actions and resolutions taken by the Olamide George’s led AFN. The court also reinstated Sunday Adeleye as the Technical Director while declaring that...
Nigeria’s Paralympic gold medalist gets four-year doping ban
Nigeria’s para powerlifter and Paralympic gold medalist, Esther Oyema, has been sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee for violating anti-doping rules. The IPC announced a ban of four years for the athlete in a statement it issued to the press. It said that Oyema “Returned an adverse analytical finding for a prohibited substance in a urine sample provided on January 28, 2019 after competing at the Lagos International Para Powerlifting Competition in Nigeria last year”. “Consequently, the 38-year-old para powerlifter, who won gold at London 2012 Olympics in the women’s 48kg category, will be disqualified from all IPC’s competitions from May 3, 2019 to May 2, 2023.” The athletic body also stripped her of the gold medal which she won in the women’s 55kg competition in Lagos. “As...
Mabel Madojiemu rues schools athletics cancellation
Former Nigerian women 400m great, Mabel Madojiemu, has lamented the cancellation of the 2020 Schools athletics championships originally billed for May 15 in Benin City, Edo State. The championships, which is solely sponsored by the Princess Mabel Madojiemu Athletics Foundation, was well on its way to make it’s second edition with the young athletes looking forward to participating, but the event became another victim of the worldwide sports postponements due to the Coronavirus pandemic. “Just like the young athletes, I’m sad that we are not going to have the Schools Athletics Competition as scheduled,” said Madojiemu. “We were good to go, and were looking to give the kids a treat, most especially with the National Sports Festival which would have been hosted in Benin by Edo State. It was o...
