TheCable

Organisers of the annual Okpekpe International 10km Road Race 2023 on Thursday promised to set a new record when the race gets underway on May 27.

The annual world athletics Gold Label event, the first road race in West Africa to have its course measured by a World Athletics/AIMS accredited course, returned last year after a two-year break occasioned by COVID-19.

Zack Amodu, the race director, said the latest event would witness improvement in capacity building for Nigerians in and around Edo state after the initiative was launched during the 2022 edition.

“Last year we organised a technical officiating course for officials with a view to enhancing the pool of the technical officials we already have in Nigeria,” Amodu said.

“We also used medical students of the Edo State University in Uzairue as volunteers in the medical committee for the race and this gave them the practical experience needed to become better in their chosen fields.”

The race director said the capacity building would embrace students of mass communication and related courses this year and they would serve as media volunteers while those in the physical and health education and other departments would serve in related committees.

“We are delighted to set the pace for road races in Nigeria and to become the first to have its course measured by a World Athletics certified measurer and the first to be granted a label status,” he said.