Sports
Response Of Foreign Athletes Excites Mountain Race Organisers
Organisers of the 7th Obudu International Mountain Race say they have received “significant interest from foreign athletes’’.
Mr Patrick Ugbe, the Cross River Commissioner for Information and Orientation, told The Tidesports in Calabar that they were willing to come and compete.
Ugbe said that no fewer than 30 elite athletes from outside Nigeria had indicated interest to participate, while the list of local athletes would be fine-tuned by the LOC and the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
He added that the organisers were expecting between 150 and 200 athletes for this year’s race.
Ugbe, who is also the Media Officer for the race, said the defending men and women champions, Abebe Dinkesa and Meselech Haileyesus respectively, had confirmed their participation in the race.
According to him, the race will hold on Nov. 26 at the Ranch Resort in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River.
Dinkesa, an Ethiopian, set the first race record of 41 mins 45 secs in the event in 2008 and became a two-time winner in 2010
“Abebe has confirmed that he will be coming to defend his title when Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River flags off the race at the Obudu Ranch Resort.
“Dinkesa’s compatriot, Haileyesus, the defending women champion, has also confirmed that she will be at the Obudu Ranch for this year’s race.’’
He said the race organisers expected that Nigerians would take the star price of 50,000 dollars in the male and the female categories each this year.
“Many Nigerian runners are well prepared to run for the star price. We believe that because this race has been on for seven years now it is about time that Nigerians rise to take the star price.
“And we believe that they have been training, especially from the catchment areas where the mountain is.
“A lot of young people have been training seriously for this year and we believe that they will make an impact.”
The race is organised by the AFN and sponsored by the Cross River Government.
It enjoys support from the African Athletics Confederation (CAA), the World Mountain Running Association, (WMRA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt contingent, comprising players, technical crew, backroom staff, and officials, depart the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State on Wednesday, bound for Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The team is set to face FC Les Aigles du Congo in the first-round first-leg match of the CAF Champions League.
This was contained in a press release signed by the media officer of the club, Charles Mayuku and made available to Tidesports on Wednesday.
He said that the highly anticipated match is scheduled to take place at the 80,000-capacity Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs on morrow with kickoff slated for 3:30pm.
According to the statement the encounter marks the first-ever meeting between both sides in any competition, adding that an air of excitement and unpredictability to the fixture.
“As the Pride of Nigeria embarks on this crucial journey, the team is determined to return with a decent result that will set them up favorably for the second leg on Sunday, 28th September” the statement said.
The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.
Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.
Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.
Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.
The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.
Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.
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