Athletics
KENYA, NOT NIGERIA, GETS IAAF BOSS’ NOD FOR 2025 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP BID
BY DUNCAN MACKAY
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe has offered encouragement to Kenya’s proposed bid for the 2025 World Championships.
Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa have also expressed an interest in hosting the 2025 IAAF World Championships.
Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei has revealed that the country’s Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed has written to the IAAF to register their interest in staging the Championships, which have never taken place in Africa.
Kenya hosted a successful IAAF World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi 2017, attracting record crowds, and the country’s capital is due to stage the Under-20 edition of the event next year.
It also hosted the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa in 2007.
Kenyan athletes are also riding high at these IAAF World Championships and, with four gold, are currently second in the overall medals table behind only the United States.
Coe insisted earlier this week that the IAAF remain committed to taking their flagship event to different continents and regions, despite the problems they have faced at these Championships, particularly the disappointing crowds.
“We have always supported the idea of the World Championships being held in Africa,” Coe told the Kenyan media.
“We are positively aware of Kenya’s idea of hosting the 2025 edition.
“The country was successful in 2007 and 2017 and we are waiting to receive their bid through CAA (Confederation of African Athletics).
“The attendance in events held in Africa has always been top,
“The 2017 Under-18 Athletics Championship was a good competition.
“On the last day, I think we had 60,000 people in the stadium.
“We know it [athletics] is a national obsession.
“Kenya has produced some of the greatest athletes, and I have been very privileged to have run against some of them like Mike Boit, Henry Rono, Nickson Kiprotich,
“Hosting championships in Africa is not a risk when it comes to crowds and passion because you get what is promised,”
Nairobi had expressed an interest in hosting the 2023 World Championships but the IAAF, under its new policy of identifying potential hosts and engaging with them rather than opening a bid process, reached an agreement with Budapest.
The 2021 IAAF World Championships are due to be staged in Eugene in the United States.
Africa’s main rival for the Championships could be Queensland in Australia, who expressed an interest in staging the event following a successful Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast last year.
Oceania is the only other region that has never staged the IAAF World Championships.
Another potential obstacle to Kenya hosting the World Championships could be the amount of athletes from the country failing drugs tests.
Between 2004 and August 2018, 138 Kenyan athletes tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency report published in September 2018.
Currently, 42 Kenyan athletes are banned or suspended pending the outcome of cases.
But Coe backed Kenya to sort out the problem.
“In the last year or so, a lot has been done,” he said.
-insidethegames
Athletics
James, Shambaz win Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10m Race
BY DAPO SOTUMINU
Nigeria’s Francis James and Blessing Shambaz yesterday emerged winners of the 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Race to go home with the winners prize money of $1,000 in a race that was officially flagged off by the First vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Chief Solomon Ogba, and supported by Mr. Nadin Khan, the president of the World Ultra Running.
James won the men’s race finishing at 30minutes 11seconds to beat all opponents to consolidate on his victory in Abuja when he finished second best in the half marathon held in the Federal Capital Territory middle of the year.
James also emerged the Nigeria’s winner of the World class half marathon.
It will be recalled that James at his last major race in Abuja finished second place in a national half marathon race. He stressed that he used that race to prepare for the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race and he was very happy winning the race.
He stressed that, the victory at Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10m Race has given him the confidence to do better in others races coming up in Nigeria and its an indication, that he’s very close to making history for Nigeria in subsequent marathon races. He added that, Nigerian runners will pull surprise in the others races not minding the attendance of the East Africans.
In second place for the men’s race is Gyang Raymond at a time of 30 minutes 14 seconds. Gyang got $750 for his effort. While the third place winner is Gyang David Boyi at 30 minutes 54 seconds. Boyi got a cash prize of $500.
In the women 10km race, the runners up that placed second was Daylop Patience at a time of 36minutes 98.28seconds to keep her position in last year’s edition. She got $750.
Third place winner is Agofure Charity at 37minutes 88 seconds.She got $500.
The overall 10km also saw the race by special athletes.
The route of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race wore a very active look this morning with the active presence of Febbs table water, a part sponsor of the event.
The volunteers on each points on the route all had Febbs Water on their hands ready to hand them over the runners. The organisers decorated all the runners that crossed the finish line with gold medals, this added to the fanfare and celebrations at the Alake Palace finish line of the race.
Athletics
Diamond League raise 2025 prize money to over $9 million
The Diamond League will increase its prize money to more than $9 million in 2025, the highest in the history of the series, the organisers have said.
Athletes will make a total of $18 million, with top athletes also receiving promotional fees. Male and female athletes will be paid at the same rate, the Diamond League said in a statement.
“The new total is almost a third higher than the sum paid during the pandemic-affected period of 2021-2024,” the statement said, adding that more will be invested in the athletes’ travel, transport, accommodation, medical and physio services.
Each of the 14 Diamond League meets of the 2025 regular season, scheduled to kick off in April, will award a total prize money of $500,000, with the final in August offering $2.24 million.
“The total prize money per discipline will be between $30,000 and $50,000 at the series meetings and between $60,000 and $100,000 at the final,” the statement added.
The Diamond League’s 2024 season concluded in Brussels last week, with Zurich set to host the 2025 final.
The news comes after World Athletics ended a 128-year tradition by paying Olympic champions at the Paris Games $50,000 each and as rival track events try to muscle in on the circuit long seen as the standard-bearer for professional athletics.
Retired American sprinting great Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track will offer prize money ranging from $100,000 for the winner to $10,000 for the eighth-place finisher at each of four “slams” when the league launches next year.
It will distribute a total of $12.6 million in prize money in 2025.
“In a league of our own,” Grand Slam Track wrote in a post on X, opens new tab on Wednesday, with a breakdown of their prize money.
-Reuters
Athletics
Record 6000 runners register for 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run
A record 6,000 runners, local and international from across the African continent and Nigeria have registered for the second edition of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run slated for September 28, 2024, as the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management Limited guns for a bronze label status for the race.
The Chief Operating Officer of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Ebidowie Oweifie, noted that the theme of this year’s edition of the Abeokuta 10km Race titled ‘For Greatness’ out is out to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the Egba paramount ruler, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo 111, the 10km Run will flag off at Iyana Oloke at 6am and finish at The Alake Palace, Abeokuta.
Kenya’s Peter Nwaniki is the men’s race defending champion at a time of 28 minutes 14 seconds, while Shamila Kipsirir also of Kenya is the women’s defending champion.
Nigeria’s race men’s defending champion is Francis James at 31minutes 08seconds, while the women’s defending champion is Patience Daylop at 36 minutes 31 seconds.
The second edition of Abeokuta10km Race will be sponsored by Lotus Bank, FEBBS Premium Water, Fatgbems Petroleum Limited and Cash Token.
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