The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has named its official team of 92 athletes to represent Nigeria at the 3rd CAA U-18/U-20 Championships, which will commence on Wednesday at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Ogun.

A statement jointly signed by the AFN’s president, Tonobok Okowa, and technical director Gabriel Okon, stated that the team was named on Tuesday.

Fifty-one members of the team are male, while 41 are female.

According to the statement, the team moved into the championship village on Monday after two weeks of camping, shortly after the national trials in Sagamu.

“A breakdown of the team shows that 23 boys and 17 girls will be competing for honours in the U-18 category, while 23 girls and 29 boys will be competing for honours in the U-20 category of the championships.

“U-18: girls – 18 athletes –  17 events; boys – 22 athletes – 17 events.

“U-20: girls – 24 athletes – 18 events; boys – 28 athletes – 19 events,” the statement read in parts.

According to Okon, the technical committee took a critical and thorough look at the strength, technical and tactical abilities, as well as the events “that we have advantage in, before selecting each member of Team Nigeria”.

“I’m confident that these will go places; they are the future of Nigerian athletics. They’re young, eager to learn, and the spirit in the camp is sky high,” Okon said.

Okowa, on his part, urged the team members to strive for glory in the competition, adding that the Nigerian contingent is fully ready and committed to success.

“It’s not a win at all costs, but they should run, jump, and throw with the zeal and determination to succeed. We are fully committed to this project of laying a solid foundation.

“We went to Ndola, Zambia, two years ago with 41 athletes, and the team finished on the podium. This time around, we want to run for the top honour,” Okowa said.

Temitope Ademola and Victor Clement are the captains of the team. Ademola leads the girls, and Clement is the boys’ leader.

(NAN)