11 November 2009
Lagos — Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) president, Hamad Kalkaba Malboum will be physically present at the Obudu Ranch Resort in Obudu, Cross River State to supervise the fifth edition of the Obudu International Mountain Race and the first African Mountain Running Championships on the 28 of this month.
Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Secretary General, Mrs Maria Wophil confirmed yesterday that the CAA head will lead a special delegation of the continental body including the technical delegate from the high performance training centre in Dakar, Senegal to Nigeria for the race.
'The CAA president has confirmed to us in writing that he will be physically present when the Obudu mountain race is held at the end of this month. He will be coming with some officials from the confederation as well as the technical delegate for the race", revealed Mrs Wophil, a former national handball star who added that all arrangements have been concluded for the president's visit.
The AFN secretary general also reconfirmed that the president of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA),Italian Bruno Gozzelino will also be around to offer support to the LOC to ensure the local organising committee for the race continues to organise one of the best mountain races in the world.
'This will be the first time we will be having the president of a world body and that of the continent coming to supervise a race. It shows how important the race is to them. It is also an acknowledgement of the good work the LOC headed by William Archibong has been doing", said Mrs Worphil who however reserved special plaudit for Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke whose support, she says has driven the race to the height it has attained so far.
A record 78 foreign athletes have been confirmed for the race while the Governor has approved an increase in the prize monies for both the main race to accommodate the new African mountain running championships and the children's race. The total prize money for the two-in-one race has gone up from $227,000 to $245,500.
However, the prize money for the first three positions for both the male
and female events remain the same at $50,000,$20,000 and $9,000 respectively to still make the Obudu international mountain race the highest paying mountain race in the world.
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