AFN boss predicts upsets as Africa games trials begin in Asaba

Athletes compete during the last National Sports Festival held at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba. The 2024 Africa Games National Trials will begin today at the same venue

President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Tonobok Okowa, has said that this year’s National Trials to select athletes that will fly the nation’s flag at the Africa Games in Ghana could spring some surprises.

The National Trials, which will begin this morning at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, is being organised by the AFN, in collaboration with the Making of Champions (MoC).

Okowa told The Guardian in a telephone chat, yesterday, that he is looking forward to see some of the athletes running new Personal Best (PB) in this Trials. “No doubt, there will be PB in this National Trials, but I want Nigerians to understand that this is not the best period for athletes to perform wonders because they have not really hit their form. But this is the Olympics year, and we have the Africa Games by the corner. We have to make good use of what we have,” he stated.

Okowa, who is the chairman of Delta Sports Commission and President of Africa Region 2 Athletics, revealed that Nigerian athletes would move into camp in Abuja soon after the National Trials, which will end on February 20.

It will be recalled that Sports Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh had earlier announced that camping for the Africa Games will open in five different locations – Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Bayelsa, and Gombe.

Nigeria will participate in 25 sports, with eight of them serving as Olympic qualifiers. Since the inception of the Games, Nigeria has won a total of 1326 medals in 12 editions, which makes her the second most-successful nation in the Games history behind Egypt.

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