Edidiong Udo Unhappy Over Omission of Nigerian Athletes from U18/U20 African Championships Banner

Nigerian 400m runner, Edidiong Udo, has criticised the organisers of the upcoming 2024 CAA U18/U20 African Athletics Championships for not including any Nigerian athletes on a promotional banner — even though Nigeria is hosting the event.

The championship will be held from 16 to 20 July at the MKO Abiola International Stadium in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and will feature young athletes from across Africa.

Udo, who has had a strong season so far and ran a season-best time of 45.19 seconds at the Tom Jones Memorial in April, shared his disappointment on social media after seeing a banner that featured foreign athletes, including Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson.

“We are hosting the CAA U18/U20 African Championship but none of our athletes are shown on this banner,” Udo wrote. “What does Kishane Thompson, a Jamaican, have to do with this?”

The US-based sprinter, who attends Ohio State University, said it was “disappointing” that no Nigerian athletes—especially those from the U18 and U20 categories—were included.

“Simple things like using our athletes’ pictures on banners can inspire young athletes,” he added. “I say this from experience. And now we’re denying them that chance.”

He also mentioned several young Nigerian athletes he believes deserved to be featured, such as Kanyisola Ajayi, Israel Okon, Prestina Ochonogor, Ella, Chioma Nwachukwu, Samuel Ogazi, and Gadfar Badmus.

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“This is one more way to promote our athletes apart from blogs. It also gives us some pride as a nation,” Udo said.

Championship to Feature Over 30 Countries

Despite the concerns, the 2024 African U18/U20 Championships will have strong international participation. Athletes are expected from over 30 countries, including:

• Botswana, Ghana, Morocco, Uganda, DR Congo, Namibia, Djibouti, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Seychelles, Guinea, South Sudan, Libya, Cameroon, Gabon, Mauritius, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Algeria, and Egypt.

Others include:

• Eswatini, Somalia, Niger, Cape Verde, Malawi, Lesotho, Comoros, and Angola.

Still, Udo insisted that local representation is important in promotional materials, especially when hosting such a major continental event.

“I urge our leaders to give us this small show of support. It really means a lot. Just a small observation,” he concluded.