Youth and Sports Minister Sunday Dare will unveil the National Cross Country race on Friday in Jos, the capital of Plateau State. The announcement was made in Lagos on Tuesday by race coordinator Tony Osheku, who said Dare is a fitting choice because he is the first minister in almost 40 years to show genuine concern for developing distance running in Nigeria.
“There was no hesitation over the choice of Dare,” Osheku explained. “He has heard the cries of Nigerian distance runners, who have been craving attention for almost four decades. He was the first to organise a training camp for them last year in Jos, and now he is the brain behind the first National Cross Country race in about 40 years.” Osheku added that this step is crucial for establishing a proper development plan and believes Nigerian distance runners will soon feature in international events.
“Just as you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs, you cannot develop top‑quality distance runners without cross‑country competition,” he said. “The National Cross Country race will raise awareness among athletes about the need to include cross‑country training in their regimes. The best distance‑running nations in the world do not joke with cross‑country training and competitions; it greatly builds physical and mental stamina. Most of the world’s top distance runners, past and present, run cross‑country regularly.” As a former middle‑distance athlete, Osheku praised Dare’s support, noting, “All lovers of distance running in Nigeria should be grateful to Dare, who is making Saturday’s race in Jos possible.”
The event is scheduled for Saturday, 18 February, a date chosen for its symbolic significance. “The World Cross Country Championships will be held in Bathurst, Australia, on the same day as the Jos race,” Osheku said. “We agreed to this date to highlight that the future of distance running in Nigeria depends on cross‑country training.”
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