AFN begins ‘operation show school result’ at D. K. Olukoya championship

TO guard against any form of manipulation by athletes in the 5th D. K. Olukoya Youth and Junior Athletics Championship, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has said that all new entrants must show proof of their school results to be eligible to compete.

  This year’s Pastor D.K. Olukoya Athletics Championship will run from Friday and end on Saturday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos. 

  It will serve as trial for the Africa Youth Athletics Championships in Mauritius scheduled for between April 23 and 26 and the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Columbia in July.

  AFN Technical Director, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, told The Guardian yesterday that the body had laid down the procedure to checkmate age-cheat, adding that new athletes in the youth event must bring along their last term school results as evidence.

  “We expect that as a youth, such athlete must be able to show evidence that he or she is in school or has just left school. A copy of their last term school result should stand as evidence.  Some of the youth athletes (U-17) have just graduated to the junior level (U-20) and we don’t have much problem in that area because the mechanism we have been using over the years is still in place,” Nesiama said.

  AFN President, Solomon Ogba, said the federation is prepared to give the over 1,000 young athletes a good competition. 

  “Our young athletes don’t want to miss this golden opportunity. They are anxiously looking forward to tomorrow (February 6) for the party to begin. Don’t forget that this year’s edition of the Dr. D.K. Olukoya Championship will serve a dual purpose. We will give them the best of tournament because any mistake at this stage may not be good for their career,” Ogba said.

  Meanwhile, the Meet Manager, Yussuf Alli, says he expects tough competition from junior athletes from Delta, Kwara and Cross River states.

 “These states have been consistent in producing young athletes in the last few years. I expect athletes from these states to dominate the sprints, jumps, quarter-mile and hurdles,” he said. 

  AFN officials are expected to arrive Lagos Friday.