Athletics
Organisers of Access Bank Lagos City Marathon set for all Lagos peculiarities
The organisers of the Gold-Label Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Nilayo Sports Management Limited, has declared the organisation’s readiness for all peculiarities of the host City, Lagos, as they conclude preparations for the February 4 gold- label race, the first of its kind in Nigeria.
The Managing Director of Nilayo Sports Management Limited and initiator of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Bukola Olopade, disclosed Monday that, his team led by its General Manager, Yusuf Ali, is ready for all the peculiarities of Lagos to ensure the success of the first Gold-Label full marathon race in Nigeria.
Olopade, noted: “At last year’s race, we noticed some darkness at the starting point, which obstructed some of the opening formalities, such that we had to delay the flag off for some minutes.
“That is why, for this year’s race, the official flag-off time has been readjusted and rescheduled for 7am and not 6am as it used to be in previous races.”
Olopade stressed that, because of the harmattan weather noticed in Lagos since the beginning of the new year, the organisers will do everything possible to make sure the weather does not affect the timing of the race.
For better output and development, we must achieve a road race with a finish time in the region of 2.10 hours, which will go a long way in helping move inches close to our target of getting a Platinum Label race in the nearest future.”
The Nilayo Sports Management Limited Chief Executive, disclosed that, to enable the Elite athletes record a good time in the gold-label 2023 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, their date of arrival has been moved forward to February 1, three days ahead of the marathon on February 4.
“This early arrival is aimed at giving the athletes the opportunity to understand and perfect the route.
“A date has been fixed for the athletes’ tour of the route ahead of the competition date.
To help them record good timing on February 4. The online registration of runners ends this Friday, January 13, while the physical registration continues, for better planning.”
Olopade added that: “This time around, the top athletes for the Gold-Label Access Bank Lagos City Marathon Road Race will be allowed three pacers each to improve their timing. This is aimed in the Long run to improve the standings and international ratings of the race at World Athletics,” Bukola Olopade said in Lagos.
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan is the winner as the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS has rejected the appeals filed by World Athletics and WADA.
The decision confirms the decision taken by the World Athletics disciplinary tribunal finding that Tobi Amusan did not commit any anti-doping rule violation.
Here is the full statement of CAS.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by
World Athletics (WA) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued on 17 August 2023 (the Challenged Decision) by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal (WADT) in relation to the hurdler Oluwatobiloba (Tobi) Amusan (Nigeria).
Accordingly, the Challenged Decision in which the WADT considered that Tobi Amusan did not violate Rule 2.4 of the WA Anti-Doping Rules (WA ADR) and that no period of ineligibility should be imposed on the Athlete is confirmed.
The Athlete was initially charged with committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Rule 2.4 WA ADR following three alleged Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period.
In their respective appeal to CAS, WA and WADA had sought the imposition of a two-year period of ineligibility. The CAS Panel held a hearing on 19 January 2024. Having deliberated, the CAS Panel has issued its decision today dismissing both appeals. The CAS Panel unanimously acknowledged that the Athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within a 12-month
period. Accordingly, the CAS Panel concluded that the Athlete did not commit an ADRV and that the Challenged Decision should be confirmed.
The reasoned award will be published by CAS unless the parties request confidentiality.
Nigeria’s Paris 2024 medal hopeful, Tobi Amusan has been cleared as the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the World Athletics.
She is therefore cleared to feature at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Amusan is the 100m hurdles world record holder.
The athlete was charged in July last year with missing three anti-doping tests in 12 months but was cleared of the offence by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.
The Integrity Unit of the World Athletics appealed the clearance which has now been dismissed by CAS, the final arbiter in the case.
CAS in its statement remarked that its panel “unanimously acknowledged that the athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within 12 months.”
Amusan set the world record of 12.12 seconds in the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July 2022 and went on to win the title.
She finished sixth in the world championships in Budapest last year.
World Athletics’ anti-doping rules say any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three occasions over 12 months is ineligible to compete for two years.
An elated Nigeria’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan has thanked God for her success in an appeal filled against her by the Athletics Integrity Unit of the World Athletics.
Had the appeal been upheld, ,Amusan would have has to miss the Paris 2024 Olymoics.
“It’s ALL GOD” Amusan said in an Instagram post alongside the court’s announcement.
Amusan, who broke the world record during her semi-final race at the 2022 world championships, is a hot favourite in her signature event at the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26.
World Athletics and WADA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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