Tag Archives: Athletes

100,000 athletes to participate in Lagos marathon

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A total of 100,000 athletes from 27 countries, including Nigeria, will participate in the second edition of Access Bank Lagos Marathon, billed to hold from 7am to 2pm on Saturday.

Sixty-four elite athletes from 26 countries and 102 from Nigeria, as well as 30 special athletes will also be participating in the marathon scheduled to start from National Stadium in Surulere and terminate at Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island.

Addressing a world press conference on Friday, Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos state, said adequate preparations had been put in place to ensure a successful event.

Represented by Deji Tinubu, his special adviser on sports and chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Ambode said the marathon had been designed to be “bigger and better” than the previous edition.

He told the people of the state to expect the best, saying all the agencies of government participating in the event have been adequately mobilised.

Ambode said the event was meant to showcase the excellence of Lagos to the world as well as encourage sporting activities among the people.

“We want to show the world that Lagos can be and Lagos can do what it is expected of it as a mega city; we want to show to the world the tourism potentials of Lagos; we want to show to the world that Lagos is safe; we want to show to the world that Lagos can be the choice destination for sports, tourism and entertainment and that is why we are doing this,” he said.

Appreciating all the sponsors of the programme, Ambode said it was gratifying to note that many of the participating athletes have picked up their running kits, while top notch security and logistics arrangement have been put in place.

He also said that the sole administrators of the local government areas of the routes of the marathon have also been adequately mobilised, while arrangement for entertainment and fun packs have also been perfected for those not participating in the marathon.

#LagosMarathon: 50,000 Athletes to participate in next Lagos City Marathon – Ambode

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Governor Ambode, who stated this at Lagos House in Ikeja while addressing a world press conference on the marathon, said necessary logistics have been put in place to make the event hugely successful, and as well promote the tourism potentials of the State.
According to the governor, about 33, 753 runners including 65 elite marathoners from different parts of the world and over 100 local elite runners participated in the 2016 edition held on February 6 this year, while the marathon was adjudged as one of the best in the world.
He explain that the government was working to ensure that the 2017 edition of the Lagos City Marathon billed to hold on Saturday, February 11, 2017 would see a major improvement compared to the maiden edition.
The Governor said that the 2017 edition, would also feature the top ten men and women marathoners in the world, who would also be joined by many gold label, silver label and bronze label marathoners from different parts of the world.
According to him, appearance fees for gold label runners is $50,000, silver label $20,000 and bronze label $10,000, adding that invited local and foreign elite runners would be paid 50 per cent of their appearance fee now and balance up when they arrive Lagos for the tourney.
Governor Ambode disclosed that Winner of the 2017 edition would also go home with a cash prize of $50,000, while second and third place winners will smile home with $40,000 and $30,000 respectively.
“The Lagos City Marathon is presently ranked 68th in the world, but our desire is to make it the top ten in the world and that is what we are working on with the next episode of the event.
Unlike the one held on February 6 this year, where we had over 30,000 athletes who participated, we are targeting a minimum of 50,000 runners who will take the city of Lagos by storm and put the city on the world map for coming up with such a huge event,” Governor Ambode said.
“We may get the CAA label before February 11, 2017; this will be another feat. We have put the necessary machinery in place to have a more elaborate start and a grand finish for this edition. There will also be entertainment at the finish for runners and spectators,” he said.

IOC strips 10 athletes of Olympic medals in doping retests.

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Sixteen athletes, including ten medallists, were on Thursday disqualified by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for doping at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The ten medallists who competed in weightlifting, wrestling and athletics were all found to have taken banned substances after retesting of samples.

They included three silver medal winners — Russian Khasan Baroev and Azeri Vitaliy Rahimov in Greco-Roman wrestling and Kazah weightlifter Irina Nekrassova.

The seven bronze medallists included four weightlifters — Russians Khadzhimurat Akkaev (+94 kg) and Dmitry Lapikov (+105), Ukrainian Natalya Davydova (+69) and Kazak Mariya Grabovetskaya (+75), Greco-Roman wrestler Asset Mambetov of Kazakhstan, Ukrainian pole vaulter Denys Yurchenko and Greek triple jumper Chrysopigi Devetzi.

The six others disqualified were weightlifters and athletes from Russia, Azerbaidjan, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The IOC have re-tested over 1,243 samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics based on improved techniques.

The build-up to the 2016 Rio Games was overshadowed after a report found evidence of a state-sponsored doping programme in Russian sport.

Russia narrowly escaped a blanket ban from Rio when the IOC left it up to international sports federations to determine which Russians were eligible to compete while granting itself a final say.

Help!!! No Clothes To Protect Us From Cold – Nigerian Athletes In Rio

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As the track and field events of the Rio 2016 Olympics began yesterday, Nigerian athletes have cried out about lack of equipment and proper clothing to weather the storm. Over all Nigerian athletes have poor dressers at the Games. And as driving rains and cold winds sweep through Rio athletes who are competing outdoors need to protect themselves, but not so for the Nigerian athletes.
“It has been raining, windy and cold in Rio.
And we have no kits for the athletes and coaches,”cried one of the athletes during warm-up on Thursday. “I don’t know why things are just like this with our country,” he added. However, he was hopeful that they will still give their best just for the love of the sport. And it remain to be seen how they will cope as the rush for medals begin in earnest.
From all indication competition will be fierce. Nigeria’s medal prospects will begin with Uhunoma Naomi Osazuwa competing in the heptathlon, Chinwe Okoro will seek qualification in the women shot put, while Blessing Okagbare will later run in the women 100m heats.

All Africa Games: Nigeria Risks Losing Medal As Five Athletes Fail Drug Tests

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Nigeria may lose All Africa Games medals as five athletes fail drug tests.

 
Nigeria is at a risk of losing their second-place finish at the 2015 All Africa Games (AAG), after it was confirmed that five of its athletes tested positive to use of banned drugs.

 

 

Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, revealed this on Thursday during a meeting with the Nigeria Olympics Committee leadership.

 

He stated that some failed the test at the AAG, while the others tested positive at the AFN Championship in Warri.
Dalung admitted that this development may lead to Nigeria losing five medals won at the competition.

 

 

“It is true that some Nigerian athletes tested positive to banned substances at the last AAG. As a result, five medals have been indicted and we risk losing them and that informed why we are meeting with NOC,” he said.

 

 

“We are still intensifying our advocacy on anti-doping. It is not always as we say it! Some times these athletes take it through food or drug to treat some ailments without knowing its application. That is why we are intensifying our efforts.”

 

 

The athletes involved are Deborah Odeyemi, Chinazo Amadi and Samson Idiata in athletics and Sunday Eze and Thomas Kure of para athletics and power lifting respectively.

 
They have all been banned for four years.

Buhari To Reward Athletes In The New Year

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President Muhammadu Buhari has set a machinery in place to reward athletes and footballers who excelled in various sporting endeavours accordingly in the New Year.  The Minister of Youth and Sports Barr. Solomon Selcap Dalung gave the hint in Abuja Tuesday.

The Minister said efforts were being made to ensure that all athletes who excelled in various Sports disciplines from 1985 when the players won the FIFA U-17 World Cup till date.

“Reward for excellence is part of this government’s agenda especially for youths in Nigeria.  So we are working hard to offset the backlog of recognition for hard work by our athletes.  We are looking at January so that we start the New Year on a clean slate” Barr. Dalung said.

Credit: Vanguard