Organizers of the Making Of Champions Athletics Grand Prix say plans have been concluded to hold the international event on March 30th and 31st, 2021, returning the competition to a two-day meeting, following the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s, AFN, partnership with the organizers of the event at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex in Lagos.
The 3rd MoC which has received more than 750 entries from Athletes across Africa, was initially slated to hold on April 2nd and 3rd but had to be moved, following the rescheduling of the National Sports Festival, NSF, to April 2nd to 14th.
As a result, the event was brought forward to March 31st, making it a one-day event, but AFN President Olamide George has now intervened to ensure that the 3rd MoC Grand Prix will remain a 2-day event so that as many athletes as possible have the opportunity to compete.
MoC Founder/CEO Bambo Akani said: “When the National Sports Festival was rescheduled to the beginning of April, we moved quickly to bring the 3rd MoC Grand Prix forward to March 31st, with a new plan to utilize the Event as a final 1-day tune-up for Nigeria’s top Athletes in their preparations for the Festival. Hon. Olamide George reached out to the organisers immediately to throw AFN’s support behind expanding the Event to 2 days, which ensures that most of the hundreds of Athletes who have registered will now be able to compete!”
Also Read: Athletes across Nigeria, West Africa preparing for MoC Grand Prix
The full schedule for the two-day event will be released in the coming days. The 3rd MoC Grand Prix is set to feature 28 events even as athletes from Kenya, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Togo, Benin Republic, Mali, Senegal, Congo, and The Gambia have signaled their intention to storm Lagos for the event, with qualification for the Tokyo Olympics up for grabs.
The organisers however said the event will not be open to fans, though plans will be announced shortly for TV broadcast of the athletics meet.
The organizers reiterated that Athletes intending to travel from outside of Nigeria for the competition should ensure that they adhere strictly to the current COVID-19 protocols for entering Nigeria.
(Editor : Paul Akhagbemhe)
