Daily Independent (Lagos)
Uzor Odigbo
9 July 2009
Lagos — The Italian Embassy in Nigeria on Wednesday made a u-turn on its earlier decision not to grant 17 Nigerian athletes visa for the sixth IAAF World Youth Athletics championship that starts on Wednesday in Bressanon, Italy.
In a surprise move late Wednesday, the embassy granted the athletes visa for the championship, with the athletes heading straight to the airport.
It was learnt that the embassy's change of mind was informed by Athletic Federation of Nigeria's plan to protest to IAAF, owners of the championship.
Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) board member, Jide Josiah, who confirmed this, said the athletes and officials travelled immediately on Wednesday, to participate in some of the events listed for Thursday.
"This is a healthy development, it just meant that some of the athletes, whose events have been completed would have to drop and those that still have their events ahead will travel," Josiah said.
He said the AFN President, Solomon Ogba, was so pained about the development that he decided to contact everyone that might be helpful to the plight of the athletes.
Nigeria's athletes numbering 15 have so far missed the 100m boys and girls and 100m hurdles event.
One of the coaches on the contingent to Italy, Tobias Igwe, said in a chat that the latest development will increase the coaches' schedules, as athletes have to be coached back into competition mood, having waited in vain for visa in the past four days.
"We are glad the embassy finally issued visa to the athletes, but the problem is that we have to quickly bring athletes back to competition mood. Everyone has been exhausted while waiting for visa, even training became a problem because a few of the athletes did not find it reasonable, reasoning that it would be a waste since they are no longer travelling," Igwe said.
On the way forward, Igwe said Nigeria athletes are strong and might even perform better than their counterparts that have been at the venue from the beginning.
"These Athletes are the determined type. We are going to prepare well for the 100m and 200m relay medley; we would have performed well in 100m, but since the event had been concluded, all we will to do is to concentrate on the relays and a few individual races left."
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