AFN VP promises N1.6m prize for Commonwealth Games trials

The Second Vice President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Akuchukwu Aghazu, has started a reward scheme to motivate athletes in Nigeria. This comes ahead of the Commonwealth Games Trials in Lagos next weekend, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Aghazu launched the Ben Aghazu Prize for Excellence in Athletics to honour her late father, Ben Aghazu. This prize will cover events like the men’s and women’s 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m and 5000m, plus the long jump and javelin.

Under this scheme, athletes who meet set performance standards in the 14 events at the trials will earn N100,000 each. The trials are set for June 20 to 22 in Lagos.

She also announced an Excellence in Athletics Award for coaches. One male and one female coach will be recognised.

“The intention is to support and encourage our home-based athletes and outstanding coaches,” Aghazu said when she unveiled the reward scheme.

Chief Tonobok Okowa, the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, welcomed this initiative. He called it a good move that will inspire athletes to improve their performance at the important trials.

“I am excited by this thoughtful initiative from our Second Vice President, Aku Aghazu. This is the kind of support that motivates our home-based athletes to give their very best during these all-important Commonwealth Games Trials,” Okowa said. He is also the Senior Vice President of the Confederation of African Athletics.

For athletes in Nigeria, the qualifying time for the men’s 100m is 10.60 seconds. The women’s entry standard is 11.55 seconds. The qualifying times for the 200m are 21.85 seconds for men and 23.75 seconds for women. For the 400m, the standards are 48.50 seconds for men and 54.50 seconds for women.

In the 1500m, men must run 3:50.00 and women must run 4:20.00 to win the prize. The qualifying standards for the 5000m are 14:00.00 for men and 17:50.00 for women.

Field event athletes are also included in this reward scheme. Male long jumpers need to reach a distance of 7.90m, while female athletes must jump 6.50m. In the javelin throw, the targets are 81m for men and 55m for women.