Athletics
Kit problems not new with Nigerian teams at major events
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
On the day Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games began, it came to light that the Nigerian team had to make emergency arrangement of getting alternative kits including sewing of badges. It is not the first time the country have had to face such embarrassing situation. In fact the current one is barely a 31st anniversary of when the Super Eagles were nearly walkover at home for their inability to have jerseys to play an Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Burkina Faso in Lagos.
Sports Village Square recalls that it is like a recurring decimal for Nigerian teams which just days before had to cope with athletes having wrong spellings of the country’s name adorning their vests.
Here are some of the off the field controversies that Nigerian teams have raised bordering on issues like kits and means of identification.
- 1980 – The Nigerian representatives had lost 1-2 in Lubumbashi a fortnight earlier and only needed a goal to reach the semi final of the competition in Ibadan. The match was delayed for three hours following the inability of the home team to produce the CAF license of the players because the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) forgot the documents in Lagos. Each member of the Nigeria team had to be photographed with the centre referee. Shooting Stars lost the match on penalties after winning 2-1 score line to drag the game into shoot out.
- 1979 -The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) forgot to fill the entry form for the Nigerian team for the football tournament of the Olympic Games and thus missed out from the qualifying series. But fortuitously, Ghana who qualified withdrew following America’s campaign for African teams to boycott the Moscow Games. Nigeria’s Green Eagles as winners of the 1980 Afcon were invited as last minute replacements.
- 1984 – In the second leg of the final match of the then Africa Cup of Champions Club in which IICC Shooting Stars were to face Egypt’s Zamalek in Lagos, the Nigerian team was rendered impotent as it was on the morning of the match day at the pre-match meeting that they learnt that key player, Felix Owolabi was ineligible for the match having obtained a second yellow card in the first leg duel. Their initial playing plan was disrupted as half-fit Lookman Oshun had to take his place. Shooting Stars lost the match and the cup.
- 1989 – In December, FIFA banned Nigeria for two-years from age-related competitions as the NFA officials had earlier presented conflicting dates of births at the U-20 competitions for three players – Andrew Uwe, Samson Siasia and Dahiru Sadi at the 1988 Olympic Games.
- 1991 – on 27 July, Nigeria needed to defeat Burkina Faso to qualify for the AFCON edition to be hosted by Senegal the following year. The late Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, as the then Chief of General Staff was the special guest of honour at the main bowl of the National Stadium in Lagos. After two hours of delay, Super Eagles appeared in a make-shift pants because the then NFA official in charge of kits left the jerseys at the team’s camp at Obasanjo Farm Otta. The players track down had to be cut with scissors for the match to go ahead. Although Nigeria won the tie 7-1 to reach the finals of the tournament, the then Sports Minister, Major General Yohanna Kure, came down hard on football federation with the dissolution of the board led by former Unipetrol Managing Director, Alhaji Yusuf Ali while Secretary General, Momodu Kadiri was relieved of his job.
- 1996 – The Nigeria U-17 team, Golden Eaglets were walked over on home soil in Ibadan in the return leg of their African qualifiers with Benin Republic. They played a goalless draw in the first leg match on 7 September in Cotonou and were to wrap it up in Ibadan. Alas! The NFA officials forgot their passports in Lagos and so the match could not hold. Nigeria were walked over on their home soil!
- 2005 – In November 16, a hurriedly assembled Super Eagles squad arrived Bucharest on match day for a friendly with Romania. Apart from having just 12 players, meaning they can make just one substitution, they were not with kits! Coaches had to roam the streets in search of green vests with which Nigeria eventually played the match that they expectedly lost 3-0.
- 2014 – A similar scenario of missing kits as experienced at Birmingham 2022 occurred eight years ago at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Even medal winners have to borrow tracksuits from their colleagues, usually in other sports disciplines, to make podium appearances. So some athletes are competing in the official team Nigeria kits Adidas while their compatriots are in Nike. Some weightlifters wore the recognisable green and white kits while some were in some strange blue, others were in some black and luminous green even red….
- 2019 – The Super Eagles arrived Dnipro without their kits as the Turkish Airline left them in transit at Istanbul along with players’ luggage as they prepared for a 10 September friendly match with Ukraine.
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.
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
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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