Athletes to compete in 100m, 200m, 400m, jumps
The coal city of Enugu will come alive on March 13 when athletes from different parts of the country gather for the maiden South East Sports Foundation athletics competition at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.
The South East Sports Foundation is a pet project of United States-based Nigerian former athlete, Victor Okorie, who was one of the most gifted hurdlers to rise from the nation’s school sports system. Okorie, who won a silver medal for Team Nigeria at COJA 2003 All Africa Games in Abuja, has been bankrolling a scholarship programme for athletes and training of some Nigerian coaches at the National Institute For Sports (NIS) in Lagos.
Okorie told The Guardian that “the event is open for all Nigerian athletes, but the prize money will only go to athletes from the South East, which is the base of our Foundation.”
He continued: “Arrival date for the competition is March 12, and events to be competed for are 100m (male and female), 200m (male and female), 400m (male and female) and the jumps. There will be no hurdles event in Enugu because there are only few hurdle sticks available at the stadium. But there will be invitational relay events for some selected secondary schools.”
With the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival now moved to April, the South East Sports Foundation athletics competition is expected to open a platform for many Nigerian track and field stars to test their fitness level and commence preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.
