With few days to go to the eighth edition of the World Athletics Elite Label, Okpekpe international 10km road race, Pamodzi Sports Marketing, organisers of the historic event has assured participants on their readiness to host a hitch-free event come Saturday, May 28, 2022.
Race director Zack Amodu said arrangements have been concluded for a hitch-free race slated to hold in Okpekpe near Auchi, Etsako East Local Government area of Edo state.
He added that this year’s edition will be the biggest ever in terms of its organisation and quality of its elite cast.
“While our ability to organise a world class event is not in doubt, this year’s race will be the biggest because World Athletics has raised the bar in terms of requirements to organise an elite label race,” he told reporters.
“Last November World Athletics reclassified all its label races and Okpekpe race as an elite label race. And the reclassification came with new rules in terms of its technical organisation and quality of the elite athletes expected to run at the event.
“This is why we are confident of new course records in the men and women’s categories.
” With the new rule, an elite label race must have at least five athletes who have ran 28.27 for men and 33.07 for women. The time for men is way above the 28.35 which Ethiopia’s Teshome Mekonen ran in 2014 to set the course record for men,” added Amodu who further revealed that the best of Nigeria elite road race runners have registered for the event.
