N4m Prize Money For Grabs At Ebonyi National Half Marathon – Organisers
By Roland Ike
Four winners that are emerge at the Ebonyi National Half Marathon scheduled for Saturday, will smile home with a prize money of N1 million each.
Announcing this in an interview with newsmen in Abakaliki Thursday, Henry Amike, Technical Director of the Marathon, said the event will be preceded by a sports investment summit on Friday, September 13.
Amike, a former Olympian in the 400 metres hurdle, said the winners would emerge in four categories (national category– men and women and Ebonyi indigenes category—men and women).
“The winner of each category will cart away N1miilion and we are grateful to the Ebonyi State governor for approving such in this maiden edition of the event.
“The second to sixth placed finalists will win various prize monies for the national categories while.the second to tenth placed finalists would equally be rewarded in the indigenes categories.”
The event’s technical director said the event assumed a national dimension due to concerns about the security situation in the south east geo-political zone.
“The event was hitherto on international arrangement but this reason made us adopt a national dimension in this maiden edition.
“The number of participants is not yet ascertained because of the massive indication of interest by athletes which is still ongoing.
“50 technically trained officials and 120 volunteers will be engaged for the marathon.”
Amike said 100 police personnel, 40 Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Personnel and 20 Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel would be on ground to maintain law and other.
“20 personnel of the Department of State Security (DSS) and five personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) will be also be engaged.
“The NIS is involved because they have been working with us since we had the international arrangement for the marathon.”
Amike said that discrepancies would be checked with the presence of internationally standardised gadgets on the athletes, at four different points of the marathon.
The State Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Richard Idike noted that Governor Francis Nwifuru would flag -off the marathon by 8.am on Sept. 14 at its Ishieke junction starting point.
“The governor will also declare it closed at the finish point of the ultra-modern Ebonyi international shopping mall.
“The athletes will assemble at the starting point by 6.am and adequate medical and security arrangements have been finalised for a safe and hitch-free event.
“All designated routes for the event have been mapped out and would be cordoned from 12am on Sept.14 till the end of the event.”
Jacob Onu, the Executive Director of Fair Play Sports, co-organisers of the marathon thanked the state governor for making the dream of the event a reality.
