AFN technical director, Navy Commodore Nesiama
Many home-based elite athletes have expressed their appreciation of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN's) decision to institute a pre-season training camp for athletes' build-up for the 2014 athletics season.
From Enugu to Kaduna, Ibadan, Owerri, Bauchi, Warri, Jos, Umuahia and Port Harcourt to the city of Ilorin in Kwara State, athletes have described AFN's pre-season camping programme as unprecedented and an innovation which would contribute to athletes' smooth take-off in the coming season.
Speaking on the camping, two gold medal hero at the just concluded Africa Junior Championship in Mauritius, Harry Chukwudike said AFN's camping programme this season is a welcome decision because it would lessen the burden of athletes having to think of many things before going for training.
"I'm sincerely happy. If I'm invited, it would take many things off my shoulder. Some of them are quality environment for training, good food, quality training facilities and trained instructors."
Chukwudike also noted that the first important thing athletes consider most while training is the environment.
"If the training environment is not right, nothing will make the athlete improve. Most athletes are suffering from poor performance because their training schedules are not properly supervised and co-ordinated."
"I say this because I have suffered it and I'm still suffering it. Now that the federation has initiated a pre-season training camp, we are going to see athletes with good performance because some of the problems that usually hinder good performance have been taken away."
Long jumper, Chinazom Amadi believes that the pre-season camping will encourage many athletes to train harder.
"With many coaches around, some athletes would be more serious with their training, unlike when one trains individually. In this part of the world where three square meals are difficult to get, athletes would be more willing to work hard when they are sure of where the next meal is coming from."
Amadi also advised that technical officials need to know athletes individual capabilities as to not start them at the same level of training.
"Most of us have started pre-season for the past two months now, and starting us afresh with others would mean moving backwards. I believe the officials will take note of these things."
Long and middle distance runner, Danjuma Kupkuddi from the Plateau, lamented that the pre-season camp does not usually include long distance runners, it had always been for sprinters and quarter-milers. He however said that should the federation invite long distance runners, it would bring a turning point in their career.
"Long distance runners have always been abandoned in the scheme of things like the pre-season camping. But if they decide to invite us, it would be a good development which would help us improve. We need energy in our spot and you don't get this energy without eating good foot with enough nutrients.
"Since many of us cannot afford the money, the AFN camp will be of great benefit because, we will train, eat and rest. There is no athlete with these advantages that would not train hard to improve."
Ex-athlete turned coach, Uchenna Emedolu hopes that the pre-season camping will be well coordinated to achieve the desired result.
"I strongly believe that this camping will be to make athletes correct their earlier mistakes and improve on their performance. There are advantages in pre-season camping, one is that it would make the serious athletes get more serious and would expose the unserious ones.
"But the problem lies in coaches not telling the truth about their findings in most athletes attached to them. You will soon discover that some athletes would come to camp with injuries and coaches will shield them, this is wrong and should be discouraged.
