Nigeria is presenting a total of 24 runners this weekend in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, as the country goes in the hunt of qualification tickets to next year’s World Athletics Championship billed for Beijing, China.
Sports247 gathered that the contingent will be guided by four coaches, led by technical director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Gabriel Okon, with a scheduled stopover in Addis Ababa before arriving in Gaborone.
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They will then compete at World Athletics Relay Championship, with high hopes of securing qualification spots from all six relay events at the global competition, which will take place this Saturday and Sunday.
The Nigerian athletes will have to be at their very best, as they will go out against a total of 723 top rated competitors from 40 countries across the world registered for the events, thereby underscoring its scale of importance.
A press statement by the AFN’s media committee chairman, Maxwell Kumoye added, “For Nigeria, the focus is to deliver strong relay performances and secure valuable tickets to the next level of global athletics competition.
“All six reigning relay champions from 2025 are expected to defend their titles, alongside medal-winning nations from the World Championships and Olympic Games, setting the stage for a high-intensity showdown.”
Sports247 gathered further that this year’s World Relays have added significance, offering qualification pathways to both the World Athletics Championships in Beijing 2027 and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
