The organiser of the 10km annual Owan marathon said it will sponsor athletes from Owan communities to Sports University in Afuze.
The organiser, Chris Ojo, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Tuesday.
He said that the athletes to benefit athletes who participates at the annual event when the institution finally commence academy activities.
Ojo further said that the affected athletes would be top performance in the 10km annual race.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for signing into law the bill establishing the University, adding that immediate communities of Owan and the country stand to benefit a lot from the institution.
“Aside from being a novel institution in the country, the University will play a huge role in addressing some of the challenges confronting youths in Nigeria.
“It will curb youths restiveness and provide menas to gainfully and productively engage the nation’s youths through sporting activities.
“This is so because products of the institution do not need to go cap-in-hand begging for employment, as the skills acquired in the University will be their market, which is high in demand globally.
“Sports is now a business, and we all cam attest to demand and what sport men and women earn across the world.
“For us, supporting athletes from Owan to the University that participates and come top in the Owan marathon race, will see us helping to creating opportunities for them.
“This will see us not only helping such an individual, but Owan and the state as well.
“We don’t just don’t want to be giving token to our own people at the end of each edition, but something that will transform their lives all together,” he stated.
Ojo described the establishment of the university as a historic achievement that will expand access to quality higher education and promote intellectual and athletic excellence.
NAN reports that the 5th edition of the annual marathon race is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2026.(NAN)
