AFN urged to send ‘B’ team to African Athletics Championships to keep ‘A’ team fresh for Olympics, avoid injuries
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, has been urged to emulate such super powers in world athletics as Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa and send its ‘B’ team to the 23rd African Athletics Championships which starts next week in Douala, Cameroon.
Olumide Oyatola, a self confessed athletics lover based in Canada, told SportsNow.com.ng in a WhatsApp message that ‘Nigeria has a chance to make a huge impact at the Paris Olympics which starts next month following the performances of our student-athletes in the USA and that of the few, already established starts like Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume’.
‘I wish the leadership of the federation will shed this obsession with winning on the continent only to fumble when they get to the world stage,’ said Oyatola who revealed running almost 10 races within a month can only lead to a decline in the athletes’ productivity and lead to possible injuries.
‘Look at some of our sprinters and quartermilers who were very impressive at the NCAA outdoor championships which ended last weekend in Oregon, USA. Most of them ran four races, will travel several hours to come to Nigeria to run at least two races before jetting out again to Douala in Cameroon where they are bound to run at least four or five more races. This will be too much on these athletes and Nigeria may pay for it at the Olympics,’ added Oyatola.
‘It is even worse for the quartermilers like Samuel Ogazi and Ella Onojuvevwevwo who ran four races at the NCAA Championships (two rounds in the 400m flat and two in the 4x400m relay). They will come home to run another two races in the 400m and minimum of four at the African Championships,’ explained Oyatola.
The athletics buff says John Enoh, the Sports Development Minister should call the AFN to order as ‘our priority should be on how to make a huge mark at the Olympics now that we have the opportunity to surpass the four medals we won in track and field at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.’
Oyatola hopes the AFN leadership has not lied to the Sports Minister about how the African Championships is as big as the African Nations Cup for football.
‘Truth is, the African Championships have lost its true status due to the way and manner the Confederation of African Athletics has treated the competition to the extent that some strong African nations do not send their ‘A’ teams to the Championships again.’
Oyatola pointed to a SportsNow.com.ng report of how Kenya emerged the best athletics nation in the world after topping the medal table at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China in 2015 but sent its ‘B’ team to the African Games a few weeks later.
‘What does it profit a nation to call itself giant of Africa but fail to make any impact at the world level’, Oyatola asked.
The Nigeria track and field championship is scheduled to hold from Sunday to Tuesday in Benin City, Edo state while the African Athletics Championships start next
