…British Embassy yet to give home-based contingent entry visas,Gusau
to attend Congress
Former national triple jump king Tosin Oke has been cleared to compete
at the 16th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
World Championships which begin on Friday in London,United Kingdom.
The news about Oke’s registration for the triple jump event at the
championships was conveyed by the IAAF to the AFN Tuesday.
Oke, who holds a personal season’s best of 16.70m and qualified for
the championships as an area champion following his victory at the
African Championships
last year in Durban,South Africa will be making his third competitive
trip to the championships after making his debut in 2009 at the 12th
edition of the IAAF flagship event in Berlin,Germany.He was a finalist two years ago
in Beijing,China at the 15th edition of the championships where he
hopped,stpped and jumped 16.81m to end up as the eighth best triple jumpr at the event.
Oke’s addition has increased to 18 the number of Nigerian athletes
that will compete at the championships following the addition of
sprint hurdler,Lindsay Lindley in the 100m hurdles and the 4x100m women’s relay team which
has reigning national 100m champion Aniekeme Alphonsus Etim,Wisdom
Isoken,Jennifer Madu and Maria Thompson Omokwe with Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor and
Lindley joining the group after their respective individual events.
Meanwhile Okagbare-Ighoteguonor has arrived London for the championships.
The double medallists at the 14th edition of the championships in
Moscow,Russia in 2013 arrived Tuesday to begin her final preparation
four days before she takes to the track at the London stadium for the first round of the 100m event.
Okagbare-Ighoteguonor is making her fourth trip to the championships.
In a related development, the British Embassy in Nigeria is yet to
issue entry visas to athletes who are scheduled to leave for London
from Nigeria with only two days before the start of the championships.
AFN secretary general Amaechi Akawo told the AFN News that he has not
received any positive response from the Embassy as at the close of
work on Tuesday but believes the visas will be issued before the championships get
underway on Friday.
‘I am regularly in communication with the IAAF and I believe the
embassy will realise the athletes and officials whose passports are
before it are representing the most populous black nation on earth and a strong
member of the commonwelath nations,’he said.
Akawo also disclosed that the president of the federation,Alhaji
Ibrahim Gusau is already in London for the 51st IAAF Congress.
‘The president arrived London on Monday evening and has been checked
into the IAAF hotel where federation presidents from all affiliated
federations are lodged for the Congress which began on Tuesday with registration of
delegates from over 200 national Member Federations,’he said.
He also revealed Honourable Gusau will on Wednesday morning join his
other colleagues from over 200 countries in an innovative one-day
convention called IAAF Athletics Connect on Wednesday 2 August designed to bring together and inspire the global athletics community.The congress proper will be
held on Thursday,August 13,the eve of the championships.
The AFN president will be joined later on Wednesday by his
vice,Olamide George who flew into London early Wednesday morning.
