Organisers Unveil 3rd Access Bank Lagos Marathon, Target IAAF Gold Label Soon

TAIWO ADELU 

The organisers of Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on Thursday unveiled the third edition of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) approved distance running event, which holds on Saturday 10 February, 2018.

At a well attended media conference at the Corporate Headquarters of major sponsor, Access Bank PLC on Victoria Island, the General Manager of the competition, Yusuf Ali said that while they were rejoicing that the status of Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has improved to a bronze label, with the anticipation of graduating to the Silver Label in the next edition, the organisers will leave nothing to chance to ensure that they aspire for the Gold Label status between now and 2019.

According to Ali, a former Nigeria Olympic captain, “though the next stage is for us to get the silver label status, there is nothing stopping us from graduating to the Gold Label if we can do it right and doing it l right entails a lot of things which I’m sure is achievable.”

He said that all hands will be on deck to put in place world class organisation as the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has been adjudged as one of the fastest growing tournaments in the world, ranked second to Cape Town Marathon in Africa.

To the CEO and Group Managing Director of Access Bank PLC, Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, the financial institution’s reason of sponsoring the Marathon race is to use the event to project the image of Lagos and indeed Nigeria positively to the world.

“There is need for us to change the narrative which is being given to us by the outside world. The perceptions has been that nothing good comes from us, but with the coming of different people from all over the world for the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, where they will experience a world class hospitality in a well secured environment. These people at the end of the day will take to their different countries the good news about our country. In essence, through this competition, we are telling good narrative of our country to the outside world, ” Wigwe said.

Deji Tinubu, the Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, who represented the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, said that Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has become the biggest one day event in Africa and one of the fastest growing sporting events in the world.

Tinubu disclosed that the government of Ambode is trying to move away from the norm to raise the profile of Lagos, adding that competition like the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has become a different kind of economy because the commercial activities that go on during the one day event are unprecedented.

“I want to assure that at the governmental level, we will put everything to ensure its success, ” he said.