Soetan Criticizes AFN Golden League Prize Money, Demands Athlete-Centered Reform

Olalekan Soetan, Southwest Zonal Representative on the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has issued a strongly worded statement calling for urgent reforms in the administration of the AFN Golden League and athlete welfare.

In a post on Facebook, Soetan condemned the practice of athletes paying to compete in AFN competitions, describing it as unacceptable.

‘Athletes should not be paying to compete in AFN competitions. That position has already been stated publicly by our Athletes’ Representative, and it is correct,’ he said.

He argued that the ₦100,000 prize money offered in the Golden League is inadequate in Nigeria’s current economic climate.

‘₦100,000 in today’s Nigeria is not athlete support. It does not cover inter-state transport, feeding, accommodation, and recovery. It does not compensate for missed training cycles. It does not justify injury risk from long road trips.

‘Yet athletes are expected to fund their own travel to centralized meets, while officials fly, lodge comfortably, collect allowances, and ‘supervise.’ This creates a dangerous imbalance. Athletes subsidize administration. That is not how a development league works,’ Soetan declared.

He also criticized the exclusion of localized competitions from the World Athletics calendar, noting that grassroots meets such as the Southwest Athletics Circuit (SWAC), ACAN-driven events, and state competitions provide affordable and accessible opportunities for athletes.

‘Athletes should not have to cross half the country just to validate performances. Local competitions were deliberately excluded. This is not coincidence. This is control. This is not how a league system is supposed to function,’ he said.

Soetan pledged to restore localized competitions in his zone to the World Athletics calendar, promising to overcome administrative bottlenecks.

‘As Southwest Zonal Representative, elected, not selected, I take responsibility for my zone. I will find a way around these administrative obstacles. Like a real hurdler, I will not stop at the barrier.

‘Southwest competitions will get back onto the World Athletics calendar. Whether through restructuring, documentation, independent compliance pathways, or zonal coordination, we will restore localized access to ranking opportunities for our athletes,’ he vowed.

He concluded with a call for structural reform, insisting that athlete development must be prioritized.

‘Athlete development does not start in Abuja offices. It starts on accessible tracks, in communities, with competitions athletes can actually afford to attend. Reform is not noise. Reform is structure,’ Soetan emphasized.