To identify and groom world beaters, an athletics academy known as Arena Athletics Academy has debuted in Lagos with its maiden training session held at the Yaba College of Technology Sports complex at the weekend.
According to the founder of the Academy, Iyere Eyieyien, the aim of the academy was to re-enact the past glory of Nigeria in athletics.
“Nigeria has progressively lost its athletics glory in the last two decade due to a lack of attention to the grassroots development of athletes. We no longer put a strong performance in the global scene because there are no planned efforts to groom athletes to replace our aging athletes who have passed their peak. Arena Athletics is borne out of our passion for putting Nigeria back to reckoning in athletics through a planned and sustained programme,” he said.
“Schools sports which used to be the starting point for great athletes is merely ceremonial these days with talented pupils only trained for two weeks before their annual inter-house sports competition.
Arena Athletics will work with schools and individuals to nurture talented students from both primary and secondary schools and ensure that they are exposed to modern techniques and global scholarship opportunities.”
Eyieyien, a former Nigerian junior athletics champion, said that the academy is already finalising a partnership with foreign athletics clubs where its students can go for international exposure.
Adu Uruemu and Sule Oluyomi Oladimeji, former national athletes, were introduced as the Chief Coach Sprints and Head Coach Horizontal Jumps respectively of the academy.