Ruth Igbanoi
16 December 2008
Ulf Salleti, the Director of the famous Stockholm International Marathon has said that Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon will in the near future rank among the very best global half marathon event given the enthusiasm of Nigerians for sports and the commitment of Globacom to the promotion of sports.
Salleti spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon Seminar at the Ocean-view Restaurant in Lagos and observed that the over 15, 000 participants recorded in the first edition last year was very significant and indicative that with consolidation in the organisation, the number may double.
Salleti disclosed that participation in the Stockholm International Half Marathon grew from about 2, 500 in the first edition in 1979 and has reached 18, 500 registered participants for the 2009 edition.
"It is a tremendous credit to Globacom as the sole sponsor of this event because the company commits huge resources in financing the Lagos Half Marathon and having been involved in five previous editions before Globacom took over, I am in a position to say that there has been significant improvement in both numbers of participants and the quality of the organisation.", remarked the Swede who also consults for races in Europe and Africa.
Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, the head of Globacom's Marathon Project office said over 3000 intending participants have so far registered on-line for the 2009 Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon, adding, "We are still collating the figures from the respective Glo-World Shops nationwide and also from the States Sports Council offices were forms are collected for manual registration".
She said Globacom is determined to ensure that the 2009 Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon will leave pleasant and lasting impressions on every participant. She explained that the seminar was organised to train officials who will manage the race and bring them up to speed with latest trends in world half marathon organisation.
"It is an opportunity for the race managers to be refreshed with new trends in marathon race management as well as review the last edition and take some learning from observed short-comings", Yusuf stated.
The Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon will hold on February 21, 2009 with total prize money of $210, 000. Nigerian runners will in this edition win cars in the male and female categories.
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