Twenty-four teams across the country were able to meet the February 15 deadline for the registration of clubs for the maiden Lagos Athletics Club Series.
The tournament, a four-leg event, will begin with its first leg at the Yaba College of Technology sports complex February 19.
According to the Technical Director, Lagos State Athletics Association, Enefiok Udo-Obong, the 24 teams that met the criteria for registration will compete at the one-day championships, while more teams will have opportunities to compete in the second leg
He added that athletes from Togo and Benin Republic have teamed up with their Nigerian counterparts to form teams for the championships.
“We are excited with the turnout of teams for the championships. At the end of the deadline, 24 teams have been confirmed for the take-off this Sunday and for us, we are excited with the huge interest in the tournament, as all is set for the kick-off. We hope to start early and hopefully by 5pm, we should be rounding up the tournament,” he said.
“The event aims to ensure we engage our athletes and we also want them to compete as a team, which is another virtue we want our athletes to inculcate while competing at the top level. Our aim goes beyond winning, we want to unearth new talents that will represent the country in major competitions. We have also secured the approval of the World Athletics in recognising some records expected to be set at the tournament.”
A board member of LASAA, Dr Modupe Ogunbanjo, tasked the athletes to keep off doping, saying there were no shortcuts to success.
“We are concerned about the welfare of our athletes and this will remain our priority. We know we cannot meet all their needs, but within our reach, we will try our best. But we must also warn them to keep off performance-enhancing drugs that will jeopardise their careers as well as tarnish their images across the globe,” she said.
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