All-American and Nigeria Endurance Abinuwa will attempt to better her time in the women’s 400-meter dash in the Texas Tech Invitational on Friday, April 22nd. Abinuwa has been in fine form this season.

Okagbare, Egwero,Tosin Oke, Ajoke, Comfort Onyali, Others Gets Olympics Scholarship

 THE Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, is leaving no stone unturned towards ensuring that Team Nigeria excel at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

A great milestone was achieved recently when the NOC secured nine London 2012 Olympics scholarships for deserving Nigerian athletes. Besides the scholarships that run from May 1, 2011 to August 31, 2012, the athletes are also entitled to $1,000 monthly budget.

Leading the athletes are Blessing Okagbare, Ajoke Muizat Odumosu, Oke Oluwatosin, Egwero Ogho-Oghene and Onyali Comfort (Athletics). Usman Maryam and Zakari Hadiza (Weightlifting), Chukwumerije Chika (Taekwondo), and Akinyemi Jonathan (Canoeing).

In a letter signed by Olivier Niamkey, Section Manager, Athletes for Olympic Solidarity and addressed to the President of NOC, Engr Sani Ndanusa, it congratulated Nigeria for grabbing this rare gesture and hoped to see the beneficiaries of the scholarships flying Nigerian flag high at the London 2012 Olympics.

Secretary General of the NOC, Honorable  Tunde Popoola while unfolding this cheery news said that it was a morale booster to Team Nigeria and a confirmation of the hard work of the Olympic body to ensuring that Nigerian athletes get what belongs to them.

“I’m excited with this package. It is a pointer to good things coming our way for the London 2012 Olympics. We are committed to the welfare of Nigerian athletes and will not stop at this. It is when the athletes are comfortable that they will post good results and win medals for the country. There is no going back to a goldmine in the Olympics,” Popoola a former athlete of repute who now mans the secretariat of the NOC said.                                               

Confederation of African Athletics:

Kalkaba, Odogwu Re-elected To Lead African Athletics

Cameroonian Hamad Kalkaba Malboum was yesterday re-elected for a third, four-year term as president of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA).

The retired army and his entire team that includes Nigeria’s Violet Odogwu-Nwajei (vice president) were unanimously returned unopposed for the fresh mandate that will see them through 2014 in the CAA Council.

Interestingly, the 22nd Congress of the CAA, which held at the Hotel Mont Febe in Yaounde, Cameroon, also threw the support of its 53-member nations behind the re-election bid of Senegalese Lamine Diack for another term as IAAF president. Diack who took over from Italian Primo Nebiolo as czar of world athletics after serving for several years as vice president is angling for his last term before retiring from the administration of the sport.

Speaking to the general council, Diack harped on the need for the continent to speak with one voice and always act as one big family. He was particularly happy that the general assembly saw the need in continuity by allowing the entire executive return for another term in office to continue the job of lifting the sport in the continent to meet the global challenge.

For the African continent to continue to have quality stars, Diack advocated for the return of track & field to schools.

“There is the need to bring back athletics to the schools. It was like that in the past. I am a product of the school system. As a young boy, I was a very good footballer for my school while at the same time champion in sprint and long jump. The basketball coaches also wanted me due to my skills. There were several others like that and so there was always a reservoir for bringing fresh talents. But unfortunately that is not the situation anymore in several countries in the continent,” observed the Senegalese who is aiming to retire into writing books on his experience running global track & field.

Those elected into the CAA Council include:

Hamad Kalkaba Malboum- President, Vivian Gungaram-Vice President, Violet Odogwu Nwajei-Vice President, Theophile Montcho - Vice President, David Okeyo  -Vice President, Hachicha - Vice President, Alhadji Dodou Joof- Treasurer and Lamine Faty as Secretary General.

While members are Abdurrahmane Belaid, Sarifa Abdul Magide Fagiide, Sidiq Ahmad Ibrahim, Emmanuel M’pioh, Hissene Ngaro, Beatrice Ayikoru, Dr. Harold Adams

And Pascal Sawadogo.

All the six regional presidents are also members of the CAA Council.

AFN UPDATES 2011 PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

"Find attached the correct version of the 2011 updated programme, please ignore the earlier version,"  says AFN

ATHLETICS FEDERATION OF NIGERIA'S MAJOR ATHLETICS EVENTS FOR 2011
Dates Events State Country
JANUARY
Affiliations/Registration of Clubs
FEBRUARY
18th - 19th 10km Road Race/All Nigeria All Comers Ibadan Nigeria
25th - 26th Sonny Odogwu U-16 National Championships TBD Nigeria
MARCH
6th 1st African Cross Country Championships Cape Town South Africa
TBD 5km Road Race (Schools) TBD Nigeria
16th - 26th NUGA Games, UNIBEN Edo Nigeria
18th - 19th All Nigeria All Comers/ Golden League Ijebu-Ode Nigeria
TBD 5km Road Race TBD Nigeria
20-Mar-11 39th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Punta Umbria Spain
25th - 26th Pastor D.K. Olukoya Under 16 and Under18 National Championships, Yaba Lagos Nigeria
APRIL
6th - 9th CRS Primary/Secondary School Sports Championships Calabar Nigeria
15th - 18th CAA Congress and Council Meeting Yaounde Cameroon
MAY
CAA Region II Junior Championships TBD TBD
6th - 7th Bishop David Oyedepo/AFN Golden League, Kaduna Kaduna Nigeria
12th - 14th Cross River/South South Athletics Championships, Calabar Cross River Nigeria
12th - 15th Africa Junior Championships Gaborone Botswana
13th - 14th NSCDC Commandant General/AFN Golden League Ado - Ekiti Nigeria
20th - 21st Pastor Enoch Adeboye/ AFN Golden League, Yaba Tech Lagos Nigeria
JUNE
3rd - 4th Chief of Naval Staff/AFN Golden league Abuja Nigeria
15th Final Golden League Warri Nigeria
23rd - 25th Nigeria/Cross River/NNPC/ExxonMobil Track and Field Championships Cross River Nigeria
29th - 9th National Sports Festival, Port Harcourt Rivers Nigeria

AFN Golden League Starts April 29-30

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has fixed April 29th and 30th as the starting date of the
2011 Chief of Naval Staff/AFN Golden League.
According to the Secretary of the AFN, Maria Wophill (Mrs.) the first leg will take place in Abuja with the second and third leg taking place in Kaduna and Lagos State respectively in May 6th -7th and 20th 21st while the final leg will take place in Warri on the 3rd and 4th of June.
It would be recalled that the 1st AFN All Comers championship which was held at the Gateway stadium in Shagamu and the Ijebu Ode stadium also in Ogun State on the 18th and 19th March was the first leg of the 2011 Golden League which was use as qualification for athletes.
The 2011 edition prize money has been increased to 2million.

Below is the AFN 2011 program as released by the federation on Friday.

ATHLETICS FEDERATION OF NIGERIA'S MAJOR ATHLETICS EVENTS FOR 2011
 
Dates                                                    Events                                                        State             Country
                                                             JANUARY
                                        
                                               Affiliations/Registration of Clubs
                                                        
                                                           FEBRUARY

18th - 19th                             10km Road Race/All Nigeria All Comers                       Ibadan            Nigeria
25th - 26th                              Sonny Odogwu U-16 National Championships              TBD              Nigeria
                                                            
                                                                MARCH

6th                                         1st African Cross Country Championships                Cape Town   SouthAfrica

                                              TBD 5km Road Race (Schools)                               TBD              Nigeria

16th - 26th                             NUGA Games, UNIBEN                                        Edo               Nigeria

18th - 19th                             All Nigeria All Comers/ Golden League                    Ijebu-Ode     Nigeria

                                              TBD 5km Road Race                                              TBD              Nigeria

20-Mar-11                            39th IAAF World Cross Country Championships,    Punta Umbria  Spain

25th - 26th                            D.K. Olukoya Under 16 and Under18 National Championship Lagos Nigeria

                                                                  APRIL

6th - 9th                                CRS Primary/Secondary School Sports Championships         Calabar  Nigeria

15th - 18th                            CAA Congress and Council Meeting                               Yaounde Cameroon

29th - 30th                            Chief of Naval Staff/AFN Golden League                        Abuja FCT  Nigeria

29th - 1st May                      CAA Region II Junior Championships                              Bamako       Mali
                                                             
                                                                  MAY

29th April -1st                      CAA Region II Junior Championships                              Bamako       Mali

6th - 7th Bishop                   David Oyedepo/AFN Golden League                              Kaduna        Nigeria

12th - 14th                        Cross River/South South Athletics Championships   Calabar Cross River Nigeria

12th - 15th                        Africa Youth Championships                                             Gaborone    Botswana

20th - 21st                        Pastor Enoch Adeboye/ AFN Golden League, Yaba Tech      Lagos      Nigeria

                                                                 JUNE

3rd - 4th                           Final Golden League                                                               Warri      Nigeria

23rd - 25th                      Nigeria/Cross River/NNPC/ExxonMobil Track and Field Championships
                                                                                                                                     Cross River Nigeria

29th -                              9th National Sports Festival,                                      Port Harcourt Rivers Nigeria

Adio Targets 2011 Greatness

Nigeria high jumper, Bayo Adio has mapped out strategies that will propel him to greatness this year.

In this chat, the long jumper revealed that missing 2010 Africa Championships in Kenya and Commonwealth Games in India last year has really propelled him to up his performance.

He expressed his determination on qualifying and earning a spot in Team Nigeria for the 2012 London Olympics Games as well as winning gold medal in the 2011 All African Games in Maputo, Mozambique later this year.

Adio who is also targeting to break the national high jump record at the 2011 Mobil further stressed that: “This is 2011 and I am doing everything possible to achieve a lot.

I have decided to intensify my training to achieve all my aspirations.

“I know we have lots of jumpers but being the best is my target and with all things being equal, I will surely achieve it all,” he said.

The Web Application Developer at Aerospace Management Group and Atlanta, Georgia also commended the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN)’s ability to organize three major championships without funds from government.

“I really have to commend the AFN for this feat, we all know how difficult it is to get money from government to organize championships but so far, the AFN has gone against all tide to achieve a lot this year.

“It is not easy to organize something without money but they have done three major this year, kudos should be given to them,” he said.

Nigeria Have Good Jumpers - Coach Sule

                              ( Coach Oluyomi Sule and Nigeria triple jumper, Otonye Iworima)

Nigeria jumpers in the long and triple jump have been given pass mark judging from their performances at major championships organized by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria recently.

Affirming this opinion, national long jump Coach, Oluyomi Sule said that given the necessary time frame and proper training, the sky will be the limit for Nigeria jumpers who he maintained can compete favorably with their international counterparts.

“To be fair to Nigerians, we have a lot of good jumpers in this country and believe me when I say it that they can hold their ground anywhere in the world.

“If we take 2010 into perspective, we will discover that our national jumpers did pretty well in all the international championships we attended,” reveals the Lagos based coach.

He added that: “In Kenya during the Africa Championships, Blessing Okagbare took gold in the long jump while Nkeiruka Domike took silver in the triple jump. We also saw Tosin Oke taking the triple jump gold in Kenya and also got the triple jump gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in India last year also.”

Meanwhile, Coach Sule has advised the national jumpers to brace up stressing that everyone will have to fight for shirt this time around due to the determination of jumpers discovered during the AFN All Comers series and the D.K Olukoya U-16 and 18 Championships, affirming they are very good.

“The senior athletes this time around have to brace up because the junior athletes are coming up and very determined in their aspiration to break into the team.”