The technical director of Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Gabriel Okon has predicted that this year’s Golden League in Benin City, Edo State will bring impressive results and stunning performances by young athletes.
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Sports247 reports that Okon thanked Edo State for agreeing to stage the first AFN Golden League of 2026 less than a week after hosting the 2nd Niger Delta Games at same venue, and enthused that it promises to be excitement all the way.
He further pointed out that great results will be enacted across Monday and Tuesday, which have been set aside for the various track and field events, with a total of 412 athletes already in Benin City for the AFN’s season starter.
AFN’s media committee chairman, Maxwell Kumoye disclosed that Team Nigeria athletes, who are currently camped in Asaba, Delta State in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, will also feature at the Golden League.
Kumoye explained further in a media statement that Team Nigeria athletes will use the two-day series of 28 events across various male and female categories at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium to access their readiness levels for Glasgow 2026.
The media guru noted further that competition will begin at 8am on Monday with women’s 5,000m final, to set the tune in the series that is officially listed on the calendar of World Athletics.
The press statement also revealed that the AFN Golden League, which signals a bold new direction by the federation’s technical committee led by Gabriel Okon, is structured into three tiers: Premium, Classics and Promotional.
“They are designed to reward excellence while deepening the talent pool. The blue-riband 100m and 400m races for both men and women headline four Premium events, with cash rewards awaiting the winners.
“Incentives will also go out for participants in eight Classics events, including women’s 100m hurdles, men’s 110m hurdles, men’s triple jump and javelin, women’s 800m, men’s 1,500m, women’s long jump and high jump.
“The AFN’s technical buff also revealed that a promotional category has been included to broaden participation among talents of the next generation and boost the federation’s fresh focus on athlete development,” Kumoye stated.
On his part, Okon described the league as a crucial competition for Nigerian athletes throughout the year and thanked AFN president, Chief Tonobok Okowa, for backing the initiative and approving financial rewards for top performers.
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