Titi Oshodi, Head of Public Affairs Department, Lagos State Sports Commission, says the maiden Access Lagos City Marathon was meant to boost tourism, entertainment and sports in the state
Oshodi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ahead of the race on Saturday in Lagos that it was the first of its kind in the 30 years of marathon existence in Nigeria.
She disclosed that more than 1,000 volunteers for the race, adding that they would also help in the assessment of the competition.
She said that the marathon would also impact positively on the economic development of the state.
“The marathon will boost the economy of the Lagos State owing to the nature of the race.
“We have many elite athletes from all the parts of the world participating in it.
“Many of the marathoners arrived on Thursday in preparation for the race,’’ Oshodi said, noting that the technical medical and indeed all logistics were ready for the competition.
“All the logistics have been put in place by Lagos State Government to ensure a smooth hosting.
“The government has put in place medical services to respond to emergencies and also put in place a combined team of traffic managers to ensure smooth traffic control.
“We hereby regret any inconvenience the usage of the routes will cause road users; we appeal to the road users to bear with us,’’ she said.
Oshodi also said that the response received so far by the marathon was unprecedented, noting that the world record holder and other notable marathoners are enthusiastic about it.
“Most of the world leading marathoners arrived yesterday (Thursday) and they are ready to prove their mettle.
“We have marathoners from the U.S., Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa and other African countries.
“We also have volunteers from outside the shores of Nigeria simply for the marathon; they are here to assess the standard of the marathon.
“We have over 1,000 volunteers trained by the Lagos State Sports Commission for the race; they will complement the efforts of other officials.
“We are appealing to Lagosians to come out en masse to cheer the athletes and make it a huge success,’’ she said.
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