The much anticipated 2022 African Track Cycling Championships will pedal off today at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja with athletes from host country Nigeria and 14 others competing for medals and ranking points.
A total of 35 men and women cyclists will fly Nigeria’s flag at the continental championship.
The technical director of Cycling Federation Nigeria (CFN) Bashir Mohammed said the athletes were selected after undergoing intensive training for over four months at the velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
The home team comprised 10 men and eight women, with Nigeria to be represented in all 22 medal events. Nigeria’s women are the reigning team pursuit and team sprint champions.
Ese Ukpeseraye, who helped win those gold medals and won five in all at the 2021 African Track Cycling Championships, leads the Nigeria squad.
The Nigerian minister of youth and sports development, Mr. Sunday Dare, who alongside other top Ministry officials and president of the Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN), Giandomenico Massari visited the venue of the event yesterday ahead of the commencement, assuring the participants of a hitch-free competition.
The participating countries are hosts Nigeria, Burundi, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Niger Republic, Bene Republic, Guinea and Botswana.
A delegation from the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC) led by its president Dr Mohamed Waguih Azzam also paid a courtesy visit to the Sports Minister yesterday ahead of today’s pedal off.
