‘Mobil School Athletics Not In AFN’s Calendar’

OFFICIALS of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) seem not bothered over the February 7 clash in date of two athletics events in the country, the Pastor D. K. Olukoya Youth and Junior Athletics Championships and the AKS/NNPC/MPN Schools Athletics Championships.

  While the AFN has fixed February 7 for the 5th edition of Dr. D.K Olukoya championship to flag off its activities for the 2015 season in Lagos, organisers of the AKS/NNPC/MPN Schools Athletics Championships have gone ahead to fix same day to round up the 14th Mobil School Athletics championships in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. 

   Technical Director of AFN, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama told The Guardian that the federation would use the D.K Olukoya’s tourney to prepare the country’s junior athletes for the African Junior Championship holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in March, while the U-20 athletes will use the tournament as build up to the African Youth Championship in Mauritius in April.

  He said that the AFN does not know anything about the organization of the AKS/NNPC/MPN Schools Athletics Championships in Uyo, adding that the competition was not on their calendar.

  “We don’t have such competition in our calendar. We have fixed February 7 as final day for the Dr. D.K Olukoya Athletics championship in Lagos and anybody who picks that same date for any athletics event in the country is on his or her own,” Nesiama said.

   It was learnt that since the AFN pulled out from the Mobil All Nigerian Athletics Championship few years ago due to disagreement in sponsorship, the relationship between the two bodies have not been cordial.