The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has received a major boost ahead of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games Trials in Lagos following the introduction of a N1.6 million performance-based reward scheme for outstanding athletes and coaches.
The initiative, tagged the Ben Aghazu Prize for Excellence in Athletics, was instituted by the AFN Second Vice President, Aku Chineze Aghazu, in honour of her late father, Ben Aghazu.
The reward programme will offer N100,000 each to athletes who achieve specific performance standards in 14 events during the Commonwealth Games Trials scheduled for June 20 to 22 in Lagos.
In addition to rewarding athletes, Aghazu announced that two coaches—one male and one female—will receive the Excellence in Athletics Award in recognition of their contributions to athlete development.
Speaking while unveiling the initiative, Aghazu said the objective is to encourage home-based athletes and recognise coaches whose efforts contribute significantly to sporting success.
President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Chief Tonobok Okowa, commended the gesture, describing it as a timely intervention that would motivate athletes to strive for higher performance levels during the trials.
Okowa, who also serves as Senior Vice President of the Confederation of African Athletics, said performance-based incentives remain one of the most effective ways of promoting excellence and healthy competition among athletes.
He urged corporate organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to support athletics development in the country by investing in athletes and sporting programmes.
According to the AFN, the incentive package covers the men's and women's 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m and 5000m races, as well as the long jump and javelin events.
To qualify for the N100,000 reward, athletes must meet standards set by the AFN Technical Committee. In the men's 100m, the benchmark is 10.10 seconds, while female athletes must clock 11.20 seconds. The qualifying marks for the 200m are 20.60 seconds for men and 22.70 seconds for women, while the 400m standards are 45.30 seconds and 51.00 seconds respectively.
For the 1500m event, athletes are required to run 3:50.00 for men and 4:20.00 for women. The qualifying times for the 5000m are 14:00.00 for men and 17:50.00 for women.
In the field events, male long jumpers must attain a distance of 7.90 metres, while female athletes must jump 6.50 metres. The javelin throw benchmarks have been set at 81 metres for men and 55 metres for women.
Should athletes achieve the required standards in all 14 events, a total of N1.6 million will be disbursed during the three-day competition.
The initiative is expected to provide additional motivation for athletes preparing for the Commonwealth Games Trials while reinforcing the importance of rewarding excellence both on and off the track.
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