Okpekpe 10km Road Race is Next Stop on World Athletics’ Calendar

World Athletics confirmed at the weekend that the next elite label road race on its calendar will hold on Saturday May 28, 2022 in Okpekpe, Edo State of Nigeria.

The event in Okpekpe, the Okpekpe international 10km road race is coming after the successful organisation of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru in India yesterday.

The governing body for the sport on its label road race page on its website alerts the whole world to the fact that the next World Athletics elite label road race will hold in Nigeria. 

It is the only label road race in all label categories that will hold that day before the Kigali International Peace Marathon in Kigali, Rwanda and the Tartan Homes Ottawa International Marathon in Ottawa, Canada which hold the next day.

World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the World Athletics designates as one of the leading road races around the world.

The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of the IAAF Road Running Commission and the Okpekpe international 10km road race is the first road running event in West Africa to be granted a label status which confers on it the status of one of the leading road races in the world.

The Okpekpe race is returning after suffering two covid-induced postponements in 2020 and 2021 and organisers have promised a better and bigger race this year to be in line with its new classification as an elite label race.

The race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing, a leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and rights acquisition business with operations in Nigeria.