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30 June 2009
Abuja — Track and field enthusiasts have lauded the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for re-introducing the Classics. They spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the end of the two-day Ladi Lawal Classics on Sunday in Lagos.
According to them, the revival of the classics marks a new dawn for athletics in the country. Maria Usifo, a former female 400 metres hurldes national record holder,
said that regular competitions would afford coaches opportunities to assess the strength and weaknesses of their athletes.
Usifo, Technical Director of the Edo Sports Council, said the revivial was the answer to the clamour by track and field enthusiasts, who had been asking for regular competitions.
She said the federation had made a good start by organising two meets in one month.
According to her, the athletes will be motivated to do well as the prize money they get is an added bonus.
"AFN is taking a further step by identifying junior athletes at these meets; such athletes will be registered on the federation's data base," she said.
Tobias Igwe, Deputy Director (Racing Games) at the Abia State Sport Council, urged the AFN to introduce a long-term training programme
for athletes discovered during the classics.
Igwe said the performance of the junior athletes was a confirmation that talents abound in the country, adding that there should be a consortium of coaches to take charge of their training. Kola Ajeibge, a former track and field coach at the National Institute for Sports (NIS), said the revival of the classics would lead to the discovery of many hidden talents.
He said the paucity of competitions was the main problem facing athletics as talents abound in the country. "The new AFN board must be commended for putting together two classics within a month.
"What they should do next after all these classics and other national competitions is to have a camping programme to harness all the talents
discovered," Ajeigbe said. Kipkudi Danjuma, who won the male 5,000 metres race at the Ladi Lawal Classics, said the competition would put athletes in good shape.
"This is good for us because we rarely had competitions before now. We just train without competitions and there is no way we can assess our performances.
"Moreover, the prize money will make the athletes have something to compete for," Danjuma said.
The Ladi Lawal Classics, held at the Univeristy of Lagos Sports Centre, was the second in the series since the new AFN Board assumed office early this month.
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