Nigeria athletics team heads to Accra for last Olympic Games relay qualifiers

Nigeria athletics team dominated by home-based stars who are seeking to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will hit Accra, the Ghanaian capital on June, 1 2024 to seek for honours at the Confederation of African Athletics Championship (CAA),.

The event runs from the 3rd to 6th of June at the Sports Complex of the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.

The CAA Region II Athletics Championship in Accra is one of the three competitions in Africa that has the blessing and approval of World Athletics (WA) for athletes across the globe to pick qualification tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The other two are the Athletics Sonelgaz International Meeting slated for Stade Souk, Ethnine, Bejaia, Algeria, on June 1, and the 6th Challenge Meeting holding on June 6 at the Olympic Center for Training National Team in Cairo, Egypt.

In a desperate bid and moves to deceive some athIetes and the athletics fraternity a handful of uninformed media have been trying hard to discredit the CAA Region 2 Athletics Championship in Accra, claiming it is not recognized by World Athletics.

However, their falsehood has fell flat as World Athletics (WA), confirmed to the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Chief Tonobok Okowa, that the CAA Region 2 event next month is authentic and has their approval as an Olympic Games Qualifiers.

Your authoritative medium, newstap.com.ng can confirm that the May 31st and June 1st Making of Champions (MoC) Grand Prix, scheduled to hold in Lagos as an Olympic Games Qualifiers is not among the qualification events.

To this effect, the organizers of the 4th MoC Grand Prix in Lagos have abandoned the event since the World Athletics, refused it as qualifiers for the Paris Olympics Games.

A hurriedly arranged press conference called by MoC officials yesterday (Wednesday) to unveil top athletes for the event in Lagos was put-off in the hurried manner it was arranged.

The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, confirmed to AFN media today, that ‘Team Nigeria’ would depart for Accra on June 1 for the CAA Region 2 Athletics Championship.

“Our athletes and officials will leave Lagos on June 1 for the Region 2 event,” he said.

Okowa, who is President of Africa Region 2 and a Vice President of CAA, said:

“The AFN will have to pay for their accommodation for one night in Accra before the official Championship opens on June 3 for the competition.

“I am sure some of our athletes will use the opportunity of attending this competition in Accra to either seal their tickets to Paris or put finishing touches to their preparations for our National Trials in Benin City, where we will pick athletes for the 2024 Africa Senior Athletics Championships holding in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, and the Paris Olympics,” Okowa stated.

Over 450 athletes from 15 countries are expected to grace the CAA Region 2 Athletics Championship.

There will be a rematch of the heart-stopping moments witnessed during the African Games at the venue earlier this year, with record-breaking performances, and unforgettable displays of speed, strength, and agility expected.

The crème de la crème of athletes from Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, The Gambia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and other countries in the region will converge on the Legon Stadium, each fueled by a burning desire to emerge victorious and claim the coveted title of Regional Champion.

The atmosphere is expected to be electric, with fans from across the region cheering on their heroes and heroines as they battle for supremacy.

Ghana, renowned for its rich athletic heritage, has spared no effort in ensuring a world-class experience for athletes, officials, and spectators alike.

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC), inaugurated a few weeks ago has promised a well organized event

“We are proud to host this prestigious event and showcase the best of Ghanaian hospitality,” Chairman of the LOC, Dr. Kwame Baah-Nuakoh stated.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to create an unforgettable experience, and we can’t wait to witness the region’s best athletes in action.”

The championships will feature sprint and distance races, hurdles and relays, jumps, and throws.

Fans can expect non-stop action, drama, and excitement as the region’s finest athletes push themselves to the limit in pursuit of glory.