25th March, 2019
Mabel Madojiemu, a 400m bronze medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday said that her athletics foundation would organise a competition in May to expose grassroots talents.
The Princess Mabel Madojiemu Foundation will organise the competition from May 6 to May 7 at the University of Benin Sports complex, Edo, she said.
Madojiemu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from her base in Australia that she thought it necessary to give back to her state where she was discovered.
“I got the motivation to give back to my state when I thought about my humble beginning to where I am now, with athletics playing a major role in my life achievements.
“Athletics opened the door to who, what and where I am today,” she said.
Madojiemu, who was also among the 4x400m squad that won gold at the 1999 African Games in South Africa, said that the aim of the competition was to discover athletes at the grassroots and take them to stardom.
She said that the foundation also aimed at moulding discovered athletes by giving them education, coaching, mentoring, kits and financial incentives.
“My foundation’s objective is to get athletes at the grassroots, to mould and develop their interest and abilities to become future champions in the long term,” she said.
She said that the first edition was targeted at secondary schools in the state, adding that it would keep progressing in the future to accommodate elite athletes and more states.
Madojiemu, who also represented the country at the 1999 World Athletics Championships in Seville, Spain, said that the registration for the competition was free.
She added that the modality for the prize monies was still being worked on, saying that the championships was self-sponsored for now.
“For now, it is a self-sponsored event, moving forward, the foundation as a registered entity will be reaching out to business organisations and individuals for sponsorships and donations,” she said.
The Edo indigene also represented Nigeria at the 2004 Athens Olympics Games.