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With few weeks to the Asaba 2018 Africa Senior Athletics Championship holding in Delta State, home based athletes have brought the Nigeria Track and Field Championships to it's knee with protest. The athletes are calling for the removal of Sunday Adeleye as their representative on the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
The home-based athletes who elected the former Police Sergeant as their representative in 2017 have accused him of not fighting for their interest on the board because his new appointment as the technical director of the AFN has led to conflict interest.
The athletes say the man had used his position as technical director to intimidate them.
They also alleged that Adeleye has two dates of birth.They queried why he should be bearing the name Sunday, a name the Yorubas give to boys born on Sunday, when his official date of birth on his international passport indicates he was born on 13th of December, 1985 a Friday.
They also want to know how he competed as a 17 year old for Nigeria at the Abuja 2003 All Africa Games when he was already in the
Nigeria Police which requires that recruits into the force must be 18 years and above.
The athletes who competed on the opening day of the trial meant to select Nigeria’s representatives to the Asaba 2018 African
Championships in Athletics next month in Asaba Delta refused to compete on the second day calling for the removal of Adeleye.
Backed by majority of the country’s former internationals who live abroad,the athletes have vowed not to compete again on
Monday, the scheduled final day of the championships.
This is the first time in the over 60 years of the championships that it would be disrupted.
Courtesy of Complete Sports.
