AFN presidential candidate, Collins, worried about Nigerian athletes’ defection

Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) presidential hopeful, former triple jumper, Rosa Collins says she is highly disturbed that Nigeria is losing potential champions to other countries, including Bahrain.

Speaking in Lagos yesterday, Collins, the only female in the midst of 10 contestants for the AFN top position, disclosed that her target is to organize five competitions in a year, adding that she would work to bring back corporate sponsors to the sport.

The former African champion said she would use her position as a top business women to lure back sponsors t6o athletics, just as she expressed confidence that she would create a credible AFN, which will be up to standard with the demands of modern realities.

“During our time we enjoyed the sport. And then people came to the stadium to see what we were doing, but now nobody cares about the athletes. This is not the story of Nigerian athletics. We want our major sponsors back. They pulled out obviously because they weren’t satisfied with the results they were getting for their sponsorships. I am telling them to give us a second chance.

“We are looking at running five competitions in a year to encourage our athletes and coaches to work harder and produce world class performance,” Collins stated.

She called on all athletics stakeholders to close ranks and work for the progress of the sport, adding that the success of Nigerian athletics was bigger than any individual’s ambition.

“First, I want to thank all the athletics stakeholders for giving me the chance to contest. All I can say is that we are looking forward to an era of cooperation, so that we can make our sport great again. I want to also thank the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung for giving us a level playing field to contest in the elections.”