Athletes ‘force’ AFN to shift Cross Country for Lagos City Marathon

Contrary to earlier reports, the maiden National 10km Cross-Country Championships scheduled for tomorrow in Jalingo, Taraba State, will not hold. The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) stated, yesterday, that the race has been postponed in deference to athletes, who protested that the January 28 date is too close to the gold-label Lagos City Marathon, which holds on Saturday February 4, 2023.

The Guardian learnt yesterday that some officials of the AFN had already commenced their journey to Jalingo for the race when they got news of the postponement.
AFN Secretary General, Rita Moshindi, said in a letter dated January 25, 2023, that a new date will be fixed for the competition.

“This postponement is as a results of pleas made by the concerned athletes on the ground that it is too close to the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon scheduled for February 4, 2023. The new date of the National Cross-Country event will be communicated in due course.”

The AFN further stated that it is only the National 10km Cross Country Championships that was postponed, but not its Annual General Congress, which was scheduled to hold alongside the championships in Jalingo.

“The AFN Annual General Congress, which was scheduled to hold along with the National Cross Country on January 28, 2023 in Jalingo, Taraba State, will now hold in Abuja on Saturday. Delegates are scheduled to arrive a day earlier,” the letter added.