Lagos state government will today begin a two-day track and field meeting tagged Eko Athletics Grand Prix for all Lagos athletes. Teslim Balogun satdium in Surulere, Lagos is expected to come alive with beehive of activities for the athletic event.
This state said the initiative was part of efforts to bring live into sports in Lagos.
Technical director of the Lagos Athletics Association, coach Tony Osheku told the media on Monday in Lagos that the meeting will start at eight in the morning and end at five in the evening for the two day duration of the meeting.
“The Eko Athletics Grand Prix is the brain child of the Lagos Athletics Association headed by our amiable chairman, Professor Olatunde Makanju and we are using it to serve two purposes.
The first is to use it to serve as selection trial to pick athletes who will represent Lagos state at the National Youth Games which will hold in Ilorin Kwara state next month,’ said Osheku, a former national middle distance king who trained Falilat Ogunkoya to two historic Olympic medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“The second purpose is to gauge the preparedness of our athletes for the National Sports Festival albeit we don’t know whether the festival will still hold this year or not,”he further said and listed events to be competed for at the Lagos meeting to include 100m,200m,400m,1500m,5000m,100m and 110m hurdles as well as the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
“We also have some field events that will hold at the meeting.They are the long jump and shot put for boys and girls and men and women.Like I said earlier the competition is open to all Lagos athletes and there will be prize money for all events,’he further revealed.
