AthIetics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Head of Competitions and Management Committee, Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (rtd), has said that with positive synergy, the challenges facing the federation would be surmounted as it grapples with competitions in the new season.

Nesiama, who was recently appointed AFN’s Head of Competitions and Management Committee, said the tasks ahead of the federation are deliverables.

“As head of competitions, our job is to make sure athIetes compete at all times… although times are short, the latest we heard from the Africa Games’ organisers in Ghana was that all entries should be submitted by middle of February. This makes our job very tight and urgent. It then means that AFN will adjust its programmes to accommodate the national trials within a short time to get all our athletes involved.”

The former AFN technical director also assured that his committee would liaise with the technical and other committees for good synergy to make the job achievable.

He informed that AFN would start its first competition for the season early in February and consistently through March for athIetes to get adequate preparation, insisting that there are more competitions this year than the previous year.

“Aside the AFN Golden League and Africa Games, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are among the huge tasks that are not insurmountable,” he said. Nesiama added that the accommodation of foreign-based athIetes in the Africa Games competitions’ programme would happen without undue protocols, adding that the Federation would be dynamic and relax certain rules that may hinder athletes anywhere in the world from attending trials.

He assured that athIetes would have the best preparations and warned that the federation would not tolerate any complacency, saying there would be strict adherence to discipline and laid down rules.

Nesiama also spelt out terms of reference for the Competition and Management Committee to include “seeing to the proper organisation of competitions endorsed by the AFN and organised by its affiliates, carry out an assessment of all competitions using assessment tools, which we shall develop ASAP, be responsible for appointing competition management officials and in conjunction with NAATO appoint officiating officials.”

The committee is also charged with “liaising with other related committees/commissions to ensure that the AFN yearly event calendar and all competition content and event timetables are prepared in line with best practices and athlete welfare centered, as well as “liaise with the technical committee and the AFN board, publish events information for AFN competitions and selection criteria for international competitions.”