Lagos Athletics Club Series To Kick-Off With N10 Million Cash Prize

On February 19, at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos Athletics Association (LASAA) will hold the first-ever athletics club series.

According to Solomon Alao, chairman of the LASAA, the goal of the athletics club series is to keep the athletes active and in good shape for major tournaments.

He said: “We want to keep the athletes busy in the best way possible and to make them competitive as well as provide an avenue where the young ones can compete with the best in the country.

“It’s to foster friendship, develop the spirit of competitiveness, and help put Lagos on the map once again as the center for athletics development.”

During the one-day championships, athletes will compete in short-distance events like the 100m, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, and 4X100m relay as well as long-distance events like the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m.

Points will be awarded to the champions of each event, as well as bonus points for the top 12 competitors in each event.

LASAA’s technical director Enefiok Udo-Obong said 10 million Naira will be up for grabs in each of the four legs of the series.

“In total, athletes will compete in four legs and they will be aiming to share the N10m cash prize. It is the biggest rewarding competition in the history of athletics in Nigeria. The league format is innovative as it has never happened before and it is hoped that World Athletics would adopt a similar stance to make athletics a followable sport,” he said.

The tournament, according to Udo-Obong, is open to the public, but to compete, competitors must register with their clubs.

He noted: “It is an open competition but you must register with a club to be part of the series. We are trying to develop a club system because they are the ones that develop the athletes. It is not only open for all athletes nationwide but the world over as we have some international clubs coming.”