Preparations of Athletes For 2020 Olympics Will Soon Begin - AFN President

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Preparations of Athletes For 2020 Olympics Will Soon Begin - AFN President

The President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Ibrahim Gusau, on Friday said the federation would soon begin the preparation of its athletes who have already qualified for the 2020 Olympics.

The AFN president told newsmen in Abuja that 12 athletes have since qualified for the Tokyo Games and AFN was going to begin their preparation with camping and other training programmes.

“There will be camping and training for the athletes as suggested by the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare.

“The board of the federation just met to finetune some of the activities that will lead to the Games in Tokyo and we will soon roll out the programme,’’ he said.

Gusau said the minister had met with the federation’s board members, asking it to come up with a comprehensive plan for the athletes on the issue of performance at the Games.

“Arrangements are in top gear to ensure a hitch-free participation at the Games. All we need is for the athletes to work hard for a successful outing at the Games.’’

He said the federation was also going to work towards avoiding what led to Nigeria’s poor performance at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

“The federation will henceforth cut the number of competitions the athletes will participate in to avoid fatigue,’’ the AFN president said.

While expressing the federation’s commitment to the growth of marathon races, Gusau did not fail to underline the fact that the federation was also worried by certain developments in the sector.

“We appreciate the fact that marathon is fast developing here and we are all gradually building a marathon culture in Nigeria.

“But since the federation is the governing body of athletics, under which marathon races fall, there is need for a greater involvement of the federation in their organisation.

“In this regard, we will soon roll out our plans on this. The federation has set out plans to provide platforms and support to organisers and private individuals who want to venture into organising athletics events,’’ Gusau said.