Ebewele thumbs down organisation

Noting the poor performance of the athletes at the championship aimed at selecting the country’s team to next month’s Athens Olympics, Ebewele said it was a complete departure of what it used to be in the previous past.

“This is not Mobil Track most of us use to know. In the previous past, the Mobil is our own Grand Prix, and all athletes wherever they are in the world would always want to come and compete. But look at what is happening now, it is a complete shadow of its former self. For 15 solid years we have been featuring in this great championship, which is supposed to be waxing stronger is instead dwindling. It is a big shame on the current Athletic Federation of Nigeria; the organisers of the championship”, he fumed this afternoon at the mainbowl of the Abuja National Stadium.

Describing the AFN as being dead, Ebewele said the stakeholders would make a letter to the Sports Minister on the dwindling fortune of the Federation.

Surprised at poor performance of the athletes, the Edo State Sports Director said it was out of place to see a sprinter returning in 10.2 secs; a performance he said was a far cry from the feat by athletes in other parts of the world.

Heaping the blame of the dwindling fortune on the door step of Dan Ngerem-led AFN, Ebewele said the structure here does not allow for good performance.

He pointed out a situation where athletes participating in an Olympic qualifying event arrive just a day to the commencement of the programme was wrong. “In an ideal situation, the athletes were supposed to have arrived the competition venue a week before to get use to the environment, food, water and other things that would enhance their performance”.

Coach Abel Akhigbe, while lending voice to Ebewele’s outright critic of the AFN said the coaches were not involved in the scheme of things especially as it affects the development of the athletes for big events such as the Olympic Games.

“We often times work only for those who do not how we started the planning will come from the blues to take credit on our efforts”, he said.

Report by Fidelis Ebu in Abuja