Team Nigerian have started their quest for tickets to all five relay events of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in other countries at the World Athletics Relays, which began last Saturday in Nassau, Bahamas.
The two-day global event was suspected to feature 893 athletes from 54 countries vie for slots at the centenary games last Saturday and Sunday, as confirmed by World Athletics.
The event serves as a qualifier for the Paris Olympics, with the top 14 teams in each event at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 qualifying automatically for places at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The remaining two places in each discipline will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period (December 31, 2022, to June 30, 2024).
Team Nigeria is currently ranked second in Africa after Kenya and 16th best in the world after clinching gold in the 4x100m, bronze in the 4x400m, one fourth and fifth place finish, and three seventh place finishes for a total of 29 points at the World Relays.
The women’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan, headlines the list of 29 athletes confirmed to represent Nigeria at the event.
Amusan has been instrumental to Nigeria’s recent success in the women’s 4x100m relay, securing gold at both the African Games and Commonwealth Games, the latter being rescinded due to a doping infraction by another member of the relay team.
The 26-year-old is joined by Nigeria’s 200m record holder Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Justina Eyakpobeyan, Tima Godbless, Elo Blessing, and African Games double sprint medalist Olayinka Olajide.
A surprise omission from the men’s 4x100m team list is Favour Ashe, Nigeria’s fastest man this year with two sub-10 second finishes (9.96 seconds and 9.99 seconds)
The 21-year-old Auburn University undergraduate has been in excellent outdoor form, yet his name was left out of the final entry list released by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
No reason has been provided for his exclusion, though sources suggest the sprinter was not released by his university to be in the Bahamas.
With this development, Godson Oghenebrume and Udodi Onwuzurike will lead Nigeria’s charge in the men’s 4x100m, alongside Alaba Akintola, Karlington Anunagba, Consider Ekanem, Seye Ogunlewe, and Israel Okon Sunday.
Their goal is to secure a top-14 finish and earn a coveted lane at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a feat Nigeria has not achieved since the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Rivers State Government has reiterates its commitment to host schools sports competitions  in August this year, to boost grassroots sports development with the view to discover hidden talents.
The State Commissioner of sports Barrister Christopher Green, disclosed this on Saturday,  in an interview with sports journalists, at the final of Strata base open national Karate Championship, held at Alfred Diete Spiff Sports Complex, Moscow road in Port Harcourt.
He said the intention of the State was to bring back sporting activites, as it used to be back in the days.
“ Our intention was to catch them young and groom them to stardom. Three months from now we are going to organise school sports, where we can identify talents.
“In those days the  likes of Oriji and Ken Saro Wiwa Cup were avenues to discover talents, we are now going back to organise such competitions.
“ Apart from that we are also going to  host Public Service games, this is coming up  in November this year too”, Barrister Green said.
According to him, every corporate organisation that sponsored any sports competition would have something in returns.
“ I want to say that  since the inception of this administration led by Sir Siminialayi Fubara the State have being doing well tremendously and sporting activites is almost at the peak” he stated.

By: Tonye Orabere

The Coordinator of the Rivers State Referee Academy in Port Harcourt, Coach Ere Dokubo says he foresees a situation where the academy would produce international referees in eight years to come.
According to him, their target was  to get the best in their early age that will officiate in FIFA organised football  competitions.
Coach Dokubo made the assertion at the weekend in a chat with Tidesports in Port Harcourt , saying that students admitted into the academy are between eight and 13 years bracket.
He explained that  Nigeria have not  produced referees to officiate  World cup games was because most of the referees did not start on time but believed that the academy would produce referees of that standard.
“ We  admit them in their early age between  eight, nine and 13,  the first phase just ended because it was an holiday programme as  most of them are students.
“ We are targeting to produce FIFA graded referees  in the future.
“ I believe in eight years to come some of  these ones we are bringing up today will be FIFA graded  referees out of them, some will officiate in the highest league that is Nigeria Professional Football League ( NPFL), why some will officiate in the lower league ( NLO).
“ I am optimistic  that we must produce FIFA graded referees from the academy” Dokubo stated.

By: Kiadum Edookor