Home-based track and field athletes will, today, officially begin the race for the qualification standard for this summer’s Olympic Games at the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) All-Comers meet at the Federal University of Technology in Akure .
The event, the first in a series of competitions in the 2020 AFN calendar, will also afford the athletes the opportunity to evaluate how far they have gone in the training. President of Nigerian Coaches Association, Godwin Ogogo, is delighted with the turnout of athletes in Akure and said the event will provide them the needed test as they battle for the qualification standard for the two major competitions this year, the African Championships in Algeria and the Olympics.
“I’m happy for the athletes who have been asking for competitions to not only test their readiness for the season, but, also, battle to get the qualification standard for the two events. For the junior ones among them, the All-Comers will also give them the chance to get the qualification standard for the World Junior Championships in Nairobi, Kenya,” said Ogogo.
“The athletes know that after the meet here in Akure, the next stop is Ado Ekiti, where the AFN holds its first Classics competition. I’m particularly delighted the federation is reintroducing the classics, which will engender competition among the athletes. They now know they have to perform before they can be invited to run and be entitled to accommodation, transport subsidy and prize monies,” he added.