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World Athletics (WA) has announced that the enactment of Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling commercialized hub, arsenic the big metropolis for its inaugural Africa Road Running Conference was influenced by its extended commercialized connections crossed the African continent and beyond.
Mr Alessio Punzi Cisternino, WA’s caput of roadworthy running, revealed this accusation during a property league held successful Abuja yesterday, wherever helium discussed plans for the conference, scheduled to instrumentality spot adjacent twelvemonth successful Lagos, up of the 2026 variation of the yearly Lagos City Marathon.
Cisternino highlighted that the Road Running Conference represents a unsocial accidental for Nigeria and aims to heighten the visibility of Nigerian runners. “The Road Running Conference is precise special, featuring a two-day workshop, and we person chosen Lagos due to the fact that it is 1 of the largest economical centres successful Africa. It volition make opportunities and vulnerability for Nigerians,” helium stated.
Malam Shehu Dikko, president of the National Sports Commission (NSC), noted that Nigeria eagerly accepted the accidental to big this inaugural league arsenic it aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s imaginativeness of integrating sports into the nation’s economy.
“There are 2 superior reasons for our swift acceptance to big the event. Firstly, it fits seamlessly with our imaginativeness astatine the NSC and President Tinubu’s extremity of making sports an integral portion of our economy. By hosting planetary sporting events, we tin bolster and concern our home sports industry,” Dikko explained.
He emphasised that Nigeria has a comparative vantage successful roadworthy racing, citing the increasing popularity of the athletics successful assorted cities crossed the nation: “The instauration laid by the DG of the sports committee has allowed roadworthy racing to flourish successful Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Enugu, and beyond, with each authorities anxious to participate.”
Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, described the league arsenic a important milestone successful Nigeria’s sports improvement efforts. “This lawsuit signals a rebranding of our sports initiatives. Running has seen phenomenal maturation successful Africa, and I congratulate Nigeria for being the chosen determination for this conference. It signifies a displacement from being simply consumers of sports to establishing a productive strategy that fosters sports development,” Olopade remarked.
Chief Solomon Ogba, president of the organising committee for the league and vice-chairman of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), asserted that the inaugural Africa Road Running Conference successful Lagos would correspond a pivotal infinitesimal for the continent, showcasing Africa’s strengths successful roadworthy running. “Africa has a comparative vantage successful this field, and we volition leverage this spot to big a singular lawsuit that volition excite everyone,” helium concluded.
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