Following the successful staging of the 2018 African Athletics Championships in Asaba, Delta State, there are indications that Nigeria may be bidding for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championships.
Disclosing this in Lagos yesterday, President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Ibrahim Shehu Gusau said Nigeria is one of the African countries jostling to win the bid for the staging of the athletics ‘World Cup’.
“I want to let you know that when the President of IAAF, Sebastian Coe came to Nigeria during the African Championships in Delta State, they were impressed with the show put up by Nigeria and it was there that a decision was arrived that an African country would be considered to host the World Championship. For now, six countries have signified interest and Nigeria being one of them is surely going to bid and we are hoping that we can win the right to become the first African to stage such event. We just need to ensure we get the right approval from the authority and hope that our bid will go through to host the Athletics ‘World Cup’,” AFN boss said.
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Gusau, however, lauded the organizers of the annual Access Bank Lagos City Marathon for their commitment to the tournament particularly Lagos State for leading the initiative to make Nigeria a world renowned nation in marathon. “We are hoping that other states can follow the example of Lagos State because with what we witnessed in 2018, I am sure 2019 will be setting another record in terms of attendance and organization. I must commend all the sponsors for their support while Governor Akinwunmi Ambode must also be lauded for keeping faith with the competition,” Gusau said.
For states or groups willing to stage any marathon, Gusau said it behooves on such states or groups to get the necessary certification from AFN as this is a global practice that is supported by IAAF.