Athletics
Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) is 80 years today –
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN clocks 80 years today having been founded on 11 March 1944 as Amateur Athletics Association of Nigeria (AAAN).
Like the older sports body, the NFF which wrongly assumed its foundation date as 1945, the AFN has always had its anniversary passed unmarked or celebrated, even when such were milestones.
What could unintentionally mark the AFN anniversary will be a good outing by Nigerian athletes as the track and field events of the 13 African Games begin on Monday next week.
The athletics body was founded in Lagos at an historic meeting attended by five Nigerians and 10 British expatriates.
The Nigerians were T. E Achibong, James Harding Ekperigin, Luke Emejulu, S. O. Jolaoso and S.M Oduba.
The expatriates were F. K. Butler, P. W. Price, A. H Clift, N. S Clouston, L. J Lewis and T. B. Welch.
The others were E. A. Miller, G. Wilson, R. G. Henderson and Capt. Donald Henry Holley. The latter became the chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association and led Nigeria’s first national football team on a tour of the United Kingdom in 1949.
At the inaugural meeting of the athletics body, Capt Holley was appointed as the founding chairman and went by the title -President.
The honorary secretary was V.B.V Powell who was assisted by a Nigerian, S. Oyebola Jolaoso.
They organised the first All Nigeria Open Athletics Championship in Ibadan in 1947. That same year, the then AAAN had a 48-page Official Handbook.
They also had the first inter colonial championship of Nigeria and Gold Coast (now Ghana) in Lagos in 1947. Another athletics championship was also held at the Police Ground at Obalende in Lagos.
The annual general meetings were held at an office located inside the Island Club premises at 3, King George V Road in Onikan.
The athletics body’s first venture abroad was the sending of an observer team to the London 1948 Olympics. Subsequently, Nigerian athletes have been featuring in the Olympics since Helsinki 1952.
The sports body has gone through change of names.
Presidents/Chairmen
- Mr. D. H. Holley, M. C. 1944 – 45
- Mr. A. Miller 1946 – 48
- Mr. A. C. Hands (CBE) 1949 – 50
- Mr. J. R. Bunting 1951 – 52
- Mr. S. O. Williams 1953 – 54
- Mr. P. H. Cook 1954 – 55
- Mr. J. R. Bunting 1955 – 56
- Late. Pa. S. O. Jolaoso (MBE) 1957 – 60
- Mr. T. A. K. Oki 1960 – 61
- Mr. S. O. Williams 1961 – 62
- Mr. A. A. Ordia (MBE) 1962 – 63
- Mr. Peter C. Chigbuo 1963 – 68
- Mr. S. O. Williams (OON) 1969 – 79
- Mr. M.A. Arogundade 1980 – 82
- Mr. Peter C. Chigbuo 1982 – 83
- Dr. George Ogan 1983 – 84
- Wing Comdr. C. A. Dangaji 1985 – 87
- Alhaji A.K.O. Amu (OFR) 1987 – 93
- Mr. S. E. Akraka 1993 – 95
- Alhaji A.K. O. Amu (OFR) 1995 – 97
- Mr. Tony Urhobo 1997 – 98
- Mr. Adeyemi Wilson 1998 – 2001
- Mr. Dan Ngerem 2001 – 2005
- Chief (Mrs.) Violet Odogwu-Nwajei (MON) 2005 – 2009
- Chief Solomon Ogba 2009 – 2017
- Engr Ibrahim Shehu Gusau 2017 – 2021
- Tonobok Ojuru Okowa 2021 – date
Athletics
Gara Gombe sets up committee for Gombe Inter Schools Athletics Championship
Former chairman of Gombe State Football Association, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe has inaugurated the Main Organising Committee for the Gombe State Inter Secondary Schools Athletics Championship.
Last year at the primary schools edition, over a thousand pupils featured in what was the maiden edition sponsored by Ahmed Shuaibu-Gara Gombe who is also the chairman of the Gombe State Athletics Association. It was held at the Pantami Stadium.
The maiden competition had boys and girls from 47 schools in attendance. On Friday, in fulfilment of a pledge to raise the bar, the organising committee was set up at the Gombe State University as part of private investment in sports development.
Athletics
Former 800m world champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse banned for 16 months
France’s former 800m world champion Pierre-Ambroise Bosse has received a 16-month ban from the French Anti-Doping Agency after missing three drug tests in the space of nine months. Bosse announced he was quitting athletics late last year due to recurrent injuries.
The sanction comes after the 31-year-old missed three drug tests between September 2022 and June 2023. Bosse had announced his retirement in December, seven months before the Paris 2024 Olympics. He had received notifications of breaches three times, with the period coinciding with his efforts to return to a high-level athletic performance despite grappling with a hamstring injury.
The initial breach occurred on 25 September 2022, when an anti-doping controller arrived at his residence to conduct a test within the athlete’s scheduled time slot, but Bosse was not available. He told French news outlet L’Équipe: “I was one foot in training, one foot on holiday.”
Bosse, who was eliminated at semi-final stage of the Tokyo Olympics, was enduring a thigh problem at the time. Following surgery in December 2022, Bosse embarked on a race against time with the aspiration of competing in his fourth Olympic Games in Paris.
On 1 May 2023, authorities tried to contact him again, but were unable to reach him during a time when he was with family in Nantes. “I wasn’t worried at that time because I had forgotten the previous one and so I thought I only had one. At that moment, I gave up completely.”
Then a month later, a controller returned to his residence for another scheduled check, but the athlete was evidently absent. He was subsequently informed a few weeks later of a likely two-year suspension for failing to fulfill such obligations.
Despite feeling dejected and shocked, Bosse attempted to defend himself by attributing the second violation to an issue with the absence of a doorbell.
“I made three mistakes, I accept. It’s true that I haven’t always been the best student when it comes to taking care of my location but, until then, it had never played any tricks on me. I know I should have been more serious but I would like to point out that I have been in the AFLD target group since 2012 and they have all my analyses.”
The 31-year-old was unable to recuperate following surgery on his right thigh last year and had been out of competition since April 2023.
Before his injury troubles he most notably secured fourth place in the 800m at the Rio Games back in 2016, and has yet to recapture the form that led to his crowning as the world champion over 800m in London in 2017. Bosse also got his hands on bronze at the European Championships in both 2012 and 2018.
Since leaving his beloved sport behind, the Frenchman has starred in two reality TV shows in his homeland and focussed on his association combining sport and ecology which he launched with his friend and former international team-mate Bryan Cantero.
Athletics
Nigerian-born Ujah recalled to Britain’s relay squad after serving doping ban
Chijindu Ujah has been recalled to Britain’s 4x100m squad for the World Athletics Relays in May, 10 months after serving his ban for a doping violation which resulted in his team being stripped of their silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
Sprinter Ujah was banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for 22 months in October 2022, which was backdated from August 2021 to June 2023. However, the AIU had cleared Ujah of intentionally taking prohibited substances.
Britain were stripped of the Tokyo silver after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Ujah’s anti-doping rule violation, though former UK Athletics technical director Stephen Maguire had said he would be considered for selection again after his ban.
Ujah’s team mates Richard Kilty, Zharnel Hughes and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake also had their medals stripped, with Kilty saying they were left “devastated” since they had strictly followed the rules unlike Ujah.
All four sprinters were named in an eight-man 4x100m relay squad for the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas on May 4-5, giving Ujah another shot to redeem himself before the Olympic Games in Paris from July 26-Aug. 11.
“They have had their fair share of challenges in recent years,” said Darren Campbell, British Athletics’ head of sprints, hurdles and relays.
“But I have had my own discussions with each and every member of the squad and know they are motivated, committed and focused on working together to reach Paris.”
-Reuters
-
CAF Champions League4 days ago
BREAKING: CAF adopts Yoruba name, “Ola” for official match ball!
-
Governing Bodies5 days ago
FIFA gets new Secretary General
-
Nigerian Football7 days ago
Daniel Amokachi back in the Super Eagles as assistant coach
-
Netball7 days ago
Finidi Georges’ foreign assistants have Nigerian roots!
-
Nigerian Football7 days ago
Finidi George handed a short-term contract as Nigeria’s 41st coach
-
Boxing6 days ago
TRAGEDY! Boxer Sherif Lawal dies in the ring during his first professional fight
-
Olympics1 week ago
Moriba spot-kick fires Guinea to Paris 2024 Olympics as Africa picks fourth slot
-
Nigerian Football1 week ago
NFF commiserates as former Super Eagles right winger, Babangida is hit with another tragedy