Sports Ministry: AFN must stick to ‘No Trials, No World Championships’ rule
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar says the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, must stick to its rules of not picking athletics who shunned the Nigerian track and field championships which ended on Friday at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin, Edo state capital.
In a report in The Guardian newspaper, Abubakar was quoted as warning the ‘Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to uphold professionalism and ensure strict adherence to the rules governing selection of athletes for the 2023 World Championships billed for Budapest, Hungary.’
The AFN had on Monday warned athletes in a letter signed by its Secretary General, Rita Moshindi, and titled: Conditions for participation at the World Athletics Championships-Budapest, 2023, that ‘all qualified and invited athletes MUST participate at the trials in order to be selected for the world championship.’
Abubakar, according to The Guardian, ‘expressed optimism that with the calibre of AFN members, Nigeria would present its best athletes from the trials to compete at the World Championships.’
The Guardian also reported that Permanent Secretary of ‘citing AFN’s promise that only athletes at the national trials would be taken to Hungary’ and ‘expressed belief that the federation would lead Nigeria to a successful outing at the World Championships.’
