MOC tackles age cheating ahead of MTN Champions finals in Abuja
The organizers of the ongoing school athletics competition MTN Champs Making of Champions (MoC) would like to thank all athletes who took part in the three divisions of the championship, their schools, parents, coaches and their stakeholders. He appealed to everyone for support. The organization is working to eradicate systemic age cheating in Nigerian athletics by pledging to use real ages at the Abuja Grand Final and in the future.
“MTN presents a historic opportunity for Nigeria to finally confront the age-cutting pressures that players have faced for years,” the MoC said in a statement published in the Guardian.
“Never before in our nation’s history has there been a national championship series with three age groups, ages 11 to 19, giving everyone a fair chance to compete in their age group. The junior age groups have also been relaxed from U-20 to U-23.
The grand finale will be held in Abuja from December 1st to 3rd.
The MoC statement said: “Despite the fact that an appropriate age group is provided for everyone, all three age categories of Cadets (U-14) and Youth (U-17) are strictly targeted. “There is widespread age discrepancy,” he added. Junior high school and junior (U-20) only. All other teenagers are welcome to participate.
“For example, we saw a systematic pattern with an unusually large number of students in SS2 and SS3 claiming to be 13 and 14 years old respectively. We’ve seen many athletes compete for the school they belong to, from 18-year-olds graduating from middle school claiming they’re already 13 to play against cadets. They are not in the wrong age category and they are in the wrong age category.
“One of the schools is the biggest offender in this area and is currently in the process of disqualifying, which will be announced soon.”
The statement said: “MTN Champs has sponsored 30 players, Most Valuable Players (MVPs) and ‘Golden Performers’ from the competitions in Benin, Uyo and Ibadan to the finals in Abuja, but is still in the process. “It’s there,” he said. We are in the process of finalizing the top 10 from each region to sponsor to Abuja and urgently need help and support from all shortlisted athletes to ensure we can help them realize their dreams. ”
Source: guardian.ng