Two weeks after the Tokyo Olympic Games, the athletics family is converging on Nairobi, Kenya, for the World Junior Athletics Championships which flags off today in the East African country.
Nigeria is among the countries in the chase for honours in a competition that has the tradition of unveiling future champions in track and field.
Officials and athletes of Team Nigeria departed the country on Sunday for the showpiece that will be concluded this weekend.
Speaking ahead of the Nairobi games, Chief Tonobok Okowa, the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) at a media parley in Asaba, Delta State, enjoined Nigerians to pray for the success of the athletes who will be competing in track and field events.
He assured that the era of fire brigade approach was over even as he looked forward to a podium finish by the ambassadors because of hard work after they were fine-tuned in readiness for the championship during camp in Asaba.
He also urged Nigerians to bury the hatchet arising from the issues the Tokyo Games brought to the front burner after heaps of allegations bordering on administrative and poor management of the athletes which informed the disqualification of 10 potential medalists on the grounds of non-compliance with doping rules and regulations.
He pleaded that dwelling on matters of the past was a distraction to the new board which took over the AFN barely 21 days to the Tokyo Games asking critics of the body to exercise restraints and watch out for better and greater days in athletics.
“My interest is to get things right”, Chief Okowa who is also the Executive Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, assured.
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