ROAD RACE: Organisers target gold label for Okpekpe race

Organisers of the annual Okpekpe Road Race have said the target this year is to upgrade the label for the race from Bronze to Gold medal. Speaking with our correspondent, the coordinator of the race, former international, Yusuf Alli, said the organisers were working hard to make this year’s edition a success and by next year a
Gold Label can be attained.
“If you look at all the races in Africa now, Okpekpe race is the only one with a label, but we don’t want to stop at Bronze Label alone, we are targeting Gold Label and we need to put so many things in place to achieve that,” Alli said.
According to him, the preparation for the race has started with some big athletes already penciled down for the race.
He added: “Before a race can be awarded a Gold Label, there must be atleast six nations taking part in it, also athletes with Gold Label and we have already penciled down 12 of such athletes that we hope will be part of this year’s edition.
“If we can achieve that, then before the end of the year, we can get the Gold Label from International Association of Athletics Federations.” It would be recalled that the IAAF conferred the IAAF Bronze Label status on the 10km Road Race last year. The IAAF said in a release to the organisers that: “We have reviewed your application for an IAAF Road Race Label.
We are pleased to inform you that your race has been awarded a Bronze Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Editor, Sport Ifeanyi Ibeh Sport Correspondent Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent The Sport Team © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited Label for 2015.
We remind you that all requirements included in the Road Race Label Regulations must be met in order to be considered for an IAAF Label the following year.”
The maiden edition of Okpekpe International Road Race was organised by the Edo State government under the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomole in 2013.

Since inception, more than 200 top athletes from across the globe have been part of the race, which Moses Massai of Kenya won the maiden edition in a time of 29 minutes, 39 seconds.