Marathoners from Kenya, Ethiopia, Burkina-Faso and several West African countries are already in Abuja getting set for the 2nd edition of the ECOWAS International Marathon slated for Saturday December 16th in the nation’s capital.
According to the event organisers, elite athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, China, Korea and the 15 ECOWAS member states will jostle for a total prize money of $70,000.
Briefing the media on Friday in Abuja, the Director of Youth and Sports Development at ECOWAS, Ambassador Francis Njoaguani, said the race goes beyond sports and its health benefits, aiming to create awareness about ECOWAS in Nigeria and promote sports for integration in the West Africa subregion.
“For this edition, we have two races: the half marathon and the 5km Road Race. The winners, male and female, in the half marathon will receive $10,000 each and a gold medal; first runners-up, $5,000 each and a silver medal; and the second runners-up, $4,000 each and a bronze medal.
The first position in the Road Race will get $750, the second position $500, and the third position $400. Also, the first 200 runners to reach the finish line will receive bronze medals each,” Njoaguani said.
“The first 200 finisher will get a prize while all the participant will receive a Certificate of participation. We are working tirelessly to take the ECOWAS International marathon to the next level. We want everybody to key into the project as we look forward to the future,” he stated.
“The idea goes beyond the sports and health benefits of the marathon. There is also the need to create awareness around ECOWAS in Nigeria, where the ECOWAS headquarters is located. We all know that in Abuja, ECOWAS has several institutions. The ECOWAS Commission, where we are today, is the main institution of ECOWAS. In Abuja, we also have the ECOWAS Parliament, as well as the ECOWAS Court of Justice and, of course, recently, the ECOWAS Office of the Auditor General. So, all four key institutions of ECOWAS are located here in Abuja, which is more reason why there is a need to have visibility for ECOWAS while promoting sports for integration. And that is the idea behind the ECOWAS Abuja International Marathon.
“This is the second edition, which means the first edition has been held successfully. It was held in December 2019 in collaboration with the FCT Sports Department. Attempting to hold the second edition was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. But we are back with full force with our partners: the FCT Sports Department, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), and others.”
Njoaguani promised that all the winners will get their money 48 hours after the race.
“All athletes are going to be pay within 48 hours after the race. They are going to get their money either through transfer or cash inside this building. I can assure you of this,” he said.
Speaking also at the event, Race Director, Gabriel Okon, promised that all is set for the race with the routes adequately mapped out and other logistics put in place to make the race one of the best in the country.
In attendance at the event was the Secretary-General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Rosa Mosindi and others stakeholders
