Lagos – Chioma Ajunwa, sponsor of Chioma Ajunwa U-13 Athletics Championships beginning on Thursday in Lagos, said the organisers must ensure that participants in the competition conformed to the age limit.
The three-day competition will hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.
Ajunwa, a gold medallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that age screening would be a major criterion for the competition.
She explained that the purpose of the screening was to fight against age falsification in sports.
“I will ensure that age screening is taken as a major criterion for the competition. I also want to work toward getting new breeds for our country.
“We will know because the athletes have to be in school; we will also know through birth certificate and from asking some questions,” she said.
The former long jumper said that the event was the maiden edition, and disclosed that sponsoring the competition was a way she could contribute to the development of athletics in the country.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“I want to give back to the society that groomed me; this is the beginning and for now, I am the major sponsor.
“I am hopeful that we will have more sponsors in subsequent editions,” she said.
She said that winners at the competition would be camped in Meiran area of Lagos for skill improvement.
“At the end of the competition, 20 boys and 20 girls will be selected; they will be camped in our academy so as to help them be better athletes.
“We will be having the camps during the holiday period because of their school; for a period of four years, we will groom them to international standard,” Ajunwa said. (NAN)