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Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Osun State is set to stage an international athletic marathon (race) aimed at hunting talents among the women folks and showcasing them to access their welfare and empowerment rights.
Tagged “Osun Women Run 2020,” the event will be held in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
The event which is being powered on behalf of the state government by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Affairs, will attract women participants from across the world, including the United Kingdom (UK), USA, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia among others. Other participants include indigenous women from Osun and South-West states, including Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos.
The commissioner, Olaboopo Olubukola, who disclosed this to newsmen in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, described the event as a women rights marathon.
She enthused that the event would be used to discover women, particularly the locals that are talented in athletics with a view to looking at the possible ways that government could assist them through welfare and empowerment programmes to make life more meaningful to them.
She added that the event would also offer an opportunity to showcase Osun State as a centre of culture, tradition and heritage.
She disclosed that during the event, the marathoners and other categories of participants would visit different tourism centres and heritage sites in the state to place it in a global limelight, especially in sports and cultural tourism.
The Project Manager, Mr Ibukun Abimbola, said that the event would begin on May 2. Participants are expected to arrive earlier to acclimatize themselves to the racecourse through training and other resources, while tourists are expected to start trooping into the state as from May 1.
He added that the marathon would involve a 5-kilometre race which would begin from the state secretariat and terminate at the Osogbo City Stadium.
He added that about a minimum of 5,000 and a maximum of 10,000 participants would attend the event.
Abimbola said while the race would last for one day, the tourism visit would take two days.
The commissioner further stated that the state was registered with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) in partnership with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Abimbola assured of the provision of adequate health facilities and medical attention as well as security of lives and property by security agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
