Twenty-four teams from across the country were able to meet the February 15 deadline for the registration of clubs for the maiden Lagos Athletics Club Series.
The Series, which is a four-leg event, will begin at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex on Sunday February 19.
According to the Technical Director of Lagos State Athletics Association (LASAA) Enefiok Udo-Obong, the 24 teams that met the criteria for the registration will compete at the one-day championships while there are opportunities for more teams to join in the second leg.
He however, said that athletes from Togo and Benin Republic have decided to team-up with their Nigerian counterparts to form teams for the championship.
“We are excited with the turnout of teams for the championships. At the end of the deadline, 24 teams were confirmed for the take off this Sunday and for us, we are excited with the huge interest in the tournament. We are all set for the kick-off on Sunday. We hope to start early and hopefully by 5pm, we should be round up the tournament,” stressed the Sydney Olympic gold medalist.
He hinted that the objective of the Series is to: “ensure we engage our athletes and want them to compete as teams which is another virtue we want our athletes to inculcate while competing at top level.
“Our aim goes beyond winning because we want to unearth new talents that will represent the country in major competition,” observed Udo-Obong.
The Technical Director confirmed that the Series has also secured the approval of the World Athletics (WA) in recognizing some records expected to be set at the tournament.
Also, a board member of LASAA, Dr Modupe Ogunbanjo, however, tasked the athletes to keep away from doping as there are no short cuts to success in life.
“We are concerned with the welfare of our athletes and this will remain our priority. We know we cannot meet all their needs but within our reach, we will try our best. But we must also warn them to keep off performance enhancing drugs that will jeopardise their career as well as tarnish their image across the globe,” concludes Dr Ogunbanjo.
