Athletics · Competitions
Athletics Competitions in Nigeria
The 2026 athletics calendar: national series, trials, school championships, road races and the National Sports Festival.
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Checked 29 September 2026
The 2026 calendar
| Dates | Event | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| February to June 2026 | AFN Golden League (revived, 400+ athletes) | Benin City, Lagos, Abuja | Held |
| 12 to 17 May 2026 | African Championships | Accra, Ghana | Held: Amusan gold, relay golds |
| 21 to 23 June 2026 | Commonwealth Games trials (1,000+ athletes) | YABATECH Sports Complex, Lagos | Held |
| 23 July to 2 August 2026 | Commonwealth Games | Glasgow, Scotland | Held: 14 athletics medals |
| September 2026 | National Youth Games | Asaba | Held |
| 27 November to 11 December 2026 | National Sports Festival (athletics and para-athletics compulsory) | Enugu | Upcoming |
Domestic meetings
Nigeria has no professional athletics league. Instead the Athletics Federation of Nigeria runs a calendar of national meetings where athletes earn ranking marks and places in national teams:
- AFN Golden League: the national series, revived in 2026
- Shehu Dikko Relays: relay meetings in Benin, Kano, Lagos and Zaria
- MTN Champs: the school series that has discovered many young sprinters, with its final in Ibadan
- National Youth and Junior Championships: Port Harcourt
- Mary Onyali Classics: Abeokuta
- Tobias Igwe meeting: Enugu
- Okpekpe 10km and the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon: Nigeria’s leading road races
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Keep reading
Athletics in Nigeria
Nigeria’s most successful Olympic sport: the federation, the stars and the numbers.Read more
History of athletics in Nigeria
From 1944 to Chioma Ajunwa’s gold and Tobi Amusan’s world title, with a verified timeline.Read more
Track and field explained
Sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws, with every Nigerian record.Read more
Team Nigeria medals
Every Olympic and World Championship medal, plus Glasgow 2026.Read more
Nigerian athletes
The Hall of Fame and today’s stars, from Egbunike to Kayinsola Ajayi.Read more
Tobi Amusan
World champion, former world record holder and Nigeria’s greatest hurdler.Read more
Nigerian athletes abroad
Weekly tracker of Nigerians in US colleges, the Diamond League and Europe.Read more
Contact Nigerian athletics
How to reach the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.Read more
Quick answers
Athletics competitions in Nigeria: quick answers
What is the AFN Golden League?
A series of national athletics meetings run by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, revived in 2026 with more than 400 athletes. It opened in Benin City in February, with further legs in Lagos and the north before a final in June.
When is the 2026 National Sports Festival?
The Enugu 2026 National Sports Festival runs from 27 November to 11 December 2026. Athletics and para-athletics are among its compulsory sports.
Which road races are held in Nigeria?
The best known are the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon and the Okpekpe International 10km Road Race in Edo State, both on the Nigerian calendar.
Where are Nigeria’s athletics trials held?
The 2026 Commonwealth Games trials were held from 21 to 23 June at the YABATECH Sports Complex in Lagos, with more than 1,000 athletes.