The organizers of the second edition of the annual Onitsha City Marathon, Onitsha Business School (OBS), have announced that they are anticipating the participation of more than 2,000 athletes in this year’s marathon taking place in Onitsha, Anambra State on September 30, 2023.
According to Dr. Osondu Umeobi, Project Manager of the race, no fewer than 2000 Marathoners, local and international, would take part in the 2023 Onitsha City Marathon.
Professor Segun Sogbasan, Director-General of the Onitsha Business School, also disclosed at a World Press Conference that $200,000 each will go for male and female categories of marathoners as winning prizes just as N5m each will go for State male and female marathoners at elaborate 2023 Onitsha City Marathon.
“This year’s marathon will feature five international elite athletes, who are in the top 300 in the world. We are bringing them in from various countries, and up to 20 other foreign athletes will participate.
“We aim at featuring over 2,000 local athletes, and we will have up to 50 viewing centres across Anambra, anthe d Delta States, for people who cannot make it to Onitsha to watch the race live.”
According to Sogbesan, the objective of establishing the Onitsha City Marathon by the Onitsha Business School was to introduce an economic element to sports, benefiting numerous local athletes.
“Everyday, we have people who throng the streets for exercise purposes, but they do it just for fitness sake. We want to bring economic dimensions to this fitness. We want young men who will earn from what they do.
“This is the initiative that we at Onitsha Business School have brought up as our social responsibility to both Onitsha our immediate environment and Nigeria. We want to put Onitsha on the map as a sports place, beyond the buying and selling that the city has become known for.”
Osondu further disclosed that $10, 000 is the star prize for winners in both male and female categories while first runners-up in the two categories will pocket $7000 each just as the third-placed finishers will go home with $5000 each.
