Akwa Ibom athletes prepare for the World Athletics Relays

Four of Akwa Ibom’s outstanding athletes are in Gaborone, Botswana to compete in the 2026 World Athletics Relay Championship.

The four athletes, comprising two women and two men, are products of the Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival 2025, sponsored by His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno, and have been entered into the Ministry of Sports database among the best performing athletes in the state.

They are part of the 26 athletes on the Nigerian team at the championship which will also serve as a qualifying series for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China.

Akwa Ibom athletes include Jacinta Lawrence, Nigeria’s Most Outstanding Junior Athlete of 2025, Esther Peter, Ezekiel Eno and Victor Sampson. They will compete in the 4×400 meters in the men’s and women’s races.

The competition will take place from 2 to 3 May 2026, while teams will earn preferential land speed positions in the World Championships in the finals on Sunday 3 May.

In a reaction, Elder Paul Bassey, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, congratulated the four athletes on their qualification to the championship, described them as the sporting pride of the state and encouraged them to do their best to emerge in their respective events.

“We are proud to have four of our best athletes in the national athletics team for this very important championship in Botswana. These are athletes who have represented our state in different competitions and have brought honor and glory to the state. We are confident that by participating in this World Relay Championship, they will deliver their best performances to help the Nigerian team finish strong and secure qualification for the World Athletics Championships in China next year. I also appreciate the fact that two key members of that team, the Technical Director and the Secretary, are Akwa Ibomites.

“As a State we will continue to encourage and support our athletes on all fronts, including the regular payment of maintenance allowance to all our athletes. We wish to sincerely express our deep gratitude to His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno, whose investment in the development of grassroots sports has begun to yield dividends within and outside Nigeria,” he said.

The Nigeria team, led by Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Technical Director, Gabriel Okon, and Secretary Isreal Inwang will participate in all events of the World Relay Championship.

Events include; 4x100m women, 4x400m, 4x100m men, 4x400m, 4x100m mixed and 4x400m mixed races.