Athletics Nigeria ready for 2011 Obudu International mountain race

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Secretary General, Maria Worphil has revealed her federation's preparedness to organize the best mountain race in the world when the 7th Obudu International Mountain Race and the 3rd African Mountain Running Championships hold on November 28th at the Obudu Ranch Resort, Cross-Rivers State.

Worphil, a former national handball star, said at the weekend in Lagos that the federation, saddled with the technical organization of the 3-in-1 event has put all logistics in place for another flawless championships.

"The AFN is ready to organize the best mountain race ever when the seventh edition holds later this month in Obudu," says Worphil who was recently elected into the women's committee of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

"We have put all the necessary logistics in place and the federation is blessed with men and women who can hold their own in terms of the technical organization of events of the magnitude of Obudu mountain race." 

The AFN accounting officer pointed to the commendation her federation received from Bruno Gozzellino, the Italian who heads the world governing body for mountain running, the world mountain running association as proof that the AFN is truly ready to host the world again.

"The WMRA president has severally commended us for the perfect organization of past editions of the race in spite of the fact that the art of mountain running is new in Nigeria .

Seven years on now, we have really come of age and that is why I make bold to say that the federation's best will certainly come to the fore later this month."

Worphil also revealed that the AFN has been receiving many entries from fellow African Nations in respect of the African Nation's Mountaining Running Championships.

"We have sent out entries and the response has been very encouraging. What I can guarantee is that we will have far more nations than the number who participated at the second edition of the championships last year," she assured.

The Obudu international mountain race is organized by the Cross River State Government,in conjunction with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

It enjoys tremendous support from the African Athletics Confederation(CAA) ,the World Mountain Running Association, (WMRA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).