A seven-man contingent is representing Nigeria at the maiden International School Sport Federation (ISF) World School Cross Country Championships, which began in Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday.
The team, made up of four boys and three girls, are champions from the Nigeria School Sports Federation’s (NSSF) National Cross-Country Championships held in Kaduna in March.
The country’s representatives are the winners in the U-12, U-15, and U-18 categories, who are now competing with their counterparts from 21 other countries in the championships that will end on May 14.
Speaking before the team’s departure from Lagos on Thursday, NSSF President, Olabisi Joseph, described the trip as part of efforts by the federation to expose students to global tournaments on a global stage.
She commended Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, for supporting the students in their quest to compete on the big stage, adding that being the first time Africa will be hosting the tournament, Nigeria hopes to return with medals on its maiden appearance at the global event.
In his speech, Plateau State Commissioner for Education, Mohammed Yalum, commended the NSSF for identifying the athletes through the national competition, while promising that this would ignite the promotion of sports in school curricula across the state.
“We are happy that NSSF organised the national competition to discover the athletes, and this again has shown their genuine interest in Nigerian students regardless of where they come from.
“We are happy that our athletes dominated the team, and we hope this can ignite interest in sports across all schools in Plateau. I hope and believe the athletes will make Plateau and Nigeria proud in Kenya, “the commissioner, who is also the leader of the delegation, said.
The captain of the team, James Gwom of Government Secondary School, Sot Vwang in Jos, expressed his excitement in the trip and promised to make the country proud in Kenya.
460 athletes from five continents and 22 countries will compete at the tournament holding at Ngong Race Course, a venue renowned for hosting numerous Kenyan National Cross Country Championships and other sporting events like horse racing.
It is situated within the renowned Ngong Forest. The course boasts a well-designed layout with natural obstacles, perfectly suited for cross country racing.
