Sports

NYG: Sports Minister frowns at Age Cheat Allegations, melt out stiff penalties

Published

5 years ago

October 20, 2021

Joel Ajayi

Minister of Youths And Sports, Mr Sunday Dare has expressed his dismay over the current trend of age cheat at the National Youth Games which is meant for Athletes under the age of 15.

Minister who was not happy with the situation frowned at the issue of age cheat that may affect the growth of the sports in the country, thereby vowed to stop age cheat in Sports.

In his closing remark at 6th edition of National Youth Games which held at the University of Ilorin condemned the soaring issues around age cheat in the games and highlighted some of the measure that would be put in place to ensure adequate screening is carried out to admit athletes for the Youth Games.

According to him “I want to condemned and express my disappointment about a few of the problem around age cheating that continues to roar it’s head specifically even during this games”.

“The Ministry for Youths And Sports Development wants to declare that going forward we will ensure that we will adopt more scientific means of identifying age cheat next time and melt out stiff penalties to the offending athletes and the state they represent”.

He further stressed “We will consider the National Identity Management Card (NIMC) registration as a requirement and others that will be roll out later in our letters that will go to out to the states and there will be need for all Athletes to have a NIMC registration before they can participate henceforth”.

“This document would be required, would be developed and we will work in conjunction with the Organisation in charge, this measure is needed to avoid losing out on a possible potential medalist being screened out as over aged while they are not or vise versa”.

However, Minister believes that the move will help in identifying screening of athletes in order not to deny qualified athletes a future in their chosen sport.

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Sports

PremiumTrust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon Splashes Big Prize Money Ahead Of 14 November 2026 Race

Published

13 hours ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

Top Three Elite Finishers To Earn $8,000, $6,000 And $5,000 Respectively

The organisers of the highly anticipated PremiumTrust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon have announced an attractive prize package for athletes across every category ahead of the race on 14 November 2026 in Abuja.

The prize announcement has been welcomed by athletes and coaches, as the event continues to establish itself as one of the leading road races in Nigeria. The race offers local athletes the chance to compete against international runners in front of a home crowd, while also earning meaningful rewards.

In the elite category, first place earns $8,000, second place takes $6,000, third place gets $5,000, fourth place receives $4,000, fifth place goes home with $3,000, sixth place earns $2,000, seventh place takes $1,000, and eighth place gets $500.

In the Nigerian category, first place earns ₦2,000,000, second place takes ₦1,500,000, third place gets ₦1,000,000, fourth place receives ₦500,000, fifth place goes home with ₦300,000, sixth place earns ₦200,000, seventh place takes ₦100,000, and eighth place gets ₦50,000.

According to the organisers, the prize structure reflects the commitment of PremiumTrust Bank to the growth of athletics in Nigeria and to the encouragement of home based athletes. The separate Nigerian category ensures that local runners are properly recognised and rewarded for their performance.

The half marathon, which covers 21 kilometres, remains an important event for long distance runners. It serves as a test of endurance and preparation, and it provides a competitive platform for athletes building towards major national and international competitions.

The race is expected to draw elite athletes, club runners, corporate teams, fitness enthusiasts and supporters from across Nigeria and beyond. The turnout is expected to be high, given the interest already shown since registration opened.

Organisers have advised interested runners to register early through the official registration portal of the race to secure their participation, as arrangements are being put in place for timing, security, medical support and traffic management on race day.

The prize money is now confirmed, attention will shift to the athletes as they complete their final weeks of training and preparations ahead of the race day.

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