36 Hrs To Access Bank Lagos Marathon: At Media Seminar, Organisers Explain Roles Of Sports Journalists

Media men and women were hosted by the organisers of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on Wednesday to explain the  roles they will play when the IAAF sanctioned event gets underway on Saturday. 

The third edition of the 42km Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, which starts by 6:30am on Saturday, is a bronze label status tournament and is promised to feature about 100,000 runners both in Nigeria and abroad. A 10Km race, which is strictly for Nigerians,  will also hold simultaneously on Saturday.

The General Manager of the Marathon, Yusuf Alli, a former Nigerian athletic international, told the media, most of whom were accredited for the championship that the organisers see the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon as a media event, hence the role media men and women will play on Saturday are seen as very crucial to the success of the tournament.

He said the essence of the seminar was to acquaint the media with expectations expected of them but not to teach them their job.

Alli revealed the strategic routes the marathoners will pass through on Saturday and urged the media to abide by the rules of the competition,  adding that organisers will ensure that they go about their job without any hitch.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Dr Kweku Tandoh said the government of Lagos State is also aware of the important roles of the media in a competition of global magnitude like the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. One of such roles, according to Tandoh is to expose the city of Lagos to the world through media report. He wanted the media to be proactive and creative in their reports.

To the chairman of the security Committee, Mr Adeyinka Adeboye, who is also the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Sports to  the Governor of Lagos State, security incidences that happened in previous editions would not repeat itself this year. He said the security agencies have been brief on how to go about their works.

Group Sports Editor of Vanguard newspapers, Mr Tony Ubani who spoke at the seminar enjoyed the journalists to be professionals in reporting the event, adding that each accredited journalist is the eye of his or her media house at the world tournament.