Athletics coach, Olalekan Soetan has urged the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to address last year’s missteps and focus on preparing the country’s best athletes for top international competitions.

Speaking to Brila.net, Soetan warned against prioritizing continental events over globally recognized tournaments, a strategy he believes undermined Team Nigeria’s performance at the Olympics.

“To begin with, the Federation struggled with setting goals, the right goals,” Soetan said.

“The Federation started by going to African Games when the majority of the elite artists in Africa were just preparing for the Olympics.”

“Unless the Federation of Nigeria engaged their best artists at the African Games, changing to sports kick points. That is the focus of the sports ministry, which is now MSC.”

”So when they focus on continental championships or games, they score big. Because the big names in continental athletics won’t even be available at the time the African Games was on.”

He further explained the need to prioritize long-term goals over short-term gains:

“So those are the things when you prioritize continental championships or games over the main competition that can only happen in four years.”

As Nigeria looks ahead to future global events, a strategic shift could help ensure athletes are primed to excel on the world stage.