Athletics
Nigeria’s South West athletics leaders unveil agenda for the region
The fortunes of athletics in the South-West zone of Nigeria is set for a change for the better following the new resolve by the athletics associations in the area to revive the sports.
The South West Athletics Association (SWAA) at the weekend held a series of meetings to fine-tune the blueprint it presently has in place to kick start the revival of athletics in the region.
Lagos Athletics Association Chairman, Solomon Alao who is the new representative of the zone on the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria is championing this new revolution which some feel is long overdue.
Alao said the time to discover and nurture new world-beaters in the mold of Falilat Ogunkoya, Yusuf Alli and the likes who all grew into world prominence from the region is now.
“Rather than dwelling on the past failures and playing the blame game, we are more interested and committed to finding solutions and results,” Alao said.
“Because we have a mandate from the Sports Minister and by extension, the AFN President, the athletics family in the South West agreed to come together to put together a blueprint for the promotion, advancement, development and rebuilding of athletics in our region” he added.
The Lagos State Athletics boss noted that in times past, the South West region has always been at the forefront of discovering and producing top athletes for the country but other regions seem to have now taken the lead now.
“Our aim is to take our rightful place from right on. Even beyond what is the case locally, just by sheer geographical space and population, the South West is bigger than the Bahamas, bigger than Jamaica and all those West Indies countries making waves in athletics so why can’t we be doing the same.” Alao wondered.
The chairman of Oyo State Athletics Association, Isaac Ogada. who is also the Secretary of SWAA said the missing link for the region in the past years has been getting a purposeful leader to drive the process and that is now solved with Mr Alao in place.
Ogada hinted that a lot of concentration will be on grassroots development and reengineering school sports which accounted for the discovery of the likes of Ogunkoya, Alli and others.
“This is a new dawn for athletics in the South-West. We are lucky to have someone with a burning desire in the person of Alao to ensure that this is properly done and I want to assure you, we are all ready to give him the necessary support” The Oyo state athletic boss promised.
Both Yussuf Alli who is the Vice President of Lagos Athletics Association and Falilat Ogunkoya who is Chairperson for the South West Athletics Association assured of helping with their expertise in helping to discover new talents from the region.
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.
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan is the winner as the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS has rejected the appeals filed by World Athletics and WADA.
The decision confirms the decision taken by the World Athletics disciplinary tribunal finding that Tobi Amusan did not commit any anti-doping rule violation.
Here is the full statement of CAS.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by
World Athletics (WA) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued on 17 August 2023 (the Challenged Decision) by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal (WADT) in relation to the hurdler Oluwatobiloba (Tobi) Amusan (Nigeria).
Accordingly, the Challenged Decision in which the WADT considered that Tobi Amusan did not violate Rule 2.4 of the WA Anti-Doping Rules (WA ADR) and that no period of ineligibility should be imposed on the Athlete is confirmed.
The Athlete was initially charged with committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Rule 2.4 WA ADR following three alleged Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period.
In their respective appeal to CAS, WA and WADA had sought the imposition of a two-year period of ineligibility. The CAS Panel held a hearing on 19 January 2024. Having deliberated, the CAS Panel has issued its decision today dismissing both appeals. The CAS Panel unanimously acknowledged that the Athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within a 12-month
period. Accordingly, the CAS Panel concluded that the Athlete did not commit an ADRV and that the Challenged Decision should be confirmed.
The reasoned award will be published by CAS unless the parties request confidentiality.
Nigeria’s Paris 2024 medal hopeful, Tobi Amusan has been cleared as the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the World Athletics.
She is therefore cleared to feature at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Amusan is the 100m hurdles world record holder.
The athlete was charged in July last year with missing three anti-doping tests in 12 months but was cleared of the offence by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.
The Integrity Unit of the World Athletics appealed the clearance which has now been dismissed by CAS, the final arbiter in the case.
CAS in its statement remarked that its panel “unanimously acknowledged that the athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within 12 months.”
Amusan set the world record of 12.12 seconds in the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July 2022 and went on to win the title.
She finished sixth in the world championships in Budapest last year.
World Athletics’ anti-doping rules say any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three occasions over 12 months is ineligible to compete for two years.
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