Olawale Ajimotokan
The organisers of the inaugural Premium Trust Bank Abuja International Half Marathon have announced that the winner of the International Category will receive a cash prize of $5,000.
The CEO of Nilayo Sports Management, Bukola Olopade, disclosed this Friday in Abuja at a world press conference on the marathon race, which holds on Saturday, April 20, 2024.
He said the international category’s second prize winner will receive $3,000, while the other athletes that make up the top five will get $2,000, $1,000 and $700 respectively.
He also announced a cash prize reward of N1 million for the best Nigerian finisher of the race, while the second and third place finishers will receive N750,000 and N500,000 respectively. The naira component, according to him, will be paid 24 hours after the race.
“This will be the first marathon that will be almost perfectly organized at the first time around. If peradventure, a Nigerian wins the first position overall, he goes away with the dollar and naira,” Olapade said.
The Race Director and Chairman, AFN Road Running Commission, Yusuf Ali, assured the competitors that the marathon will be hitch free to give it a semblance of a real international marathon.
Ali said that the route had been measured and certified to comply with international standards.
He said all water points will be manned by Seven Up Bottling Company, while transponders will be employed to avoid incidents of runners missing their way.
Ali, a former Olympian, added that roads will be fully closed while all the runners that finish the race will be given medals.
He said they will employ three timers for the race: the transponders chip, the mat and F20.
“Just for education—the transponders mat and chips are in sync together. If you break the play by taking Okada or bike for two seconds that thing will beep.
“Some people will cheat for money regardless. Along the route, it’s half marathon. We are having six spy cameras along the road. Nobody, including me, knows where the spy cameras will be. So, I think those are the measures we are going to have. So, regarding the issue of cheating, forget about it,” Ali said.
The Executive Director, Digital and Transaction Banking, Premium Trust Bank, Sina Atilola, expressed optimism that the marathon will be the first of its kind in Abuja and will be one of the best.
“For us at Premium Trust Bank, it is our pride to ensure that we impact individuals and communities and also businesses that we have the opportunities of interacting with and we are intentional about sports. For us, this is not a sprint but a marathon. We are to partner with athletics for a long haul. We are quite optimistic that this is the first of its kind in Abuja and will be one of the best. There is no activity that we have participated in that we have not won award. This marathon will be one of the best of its kind in whole of Africa,” Atilola said.
