Olopade’s feats get bulkier as Lagos Marathon becomes ‘Silver Label Race’

These are the best of times for racing sport merchant and managing director of NILAYO SPORT MANAGEMENT LTD, as the firm’s flagship race, Access Bank Lagos City Marathon Race has moved up the ladder from a Bronze Label marathon to a Silver Label marathon, less than five years after its maiden edition.

Olukayode Thomas, Head Communications and Media, said the good news was conveyed to the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon by IAAF Head of Road Races Alessio Punzi. Thomas said: “The certificate for the new Silver Label status was sent over the weekend to Race Promoter Bukola Olopade and General Manager Marathon Yussuf Alli.” This good news is coming barely 3 days after the Olopade and his team had just concluded another race in Ogun state, the JAC Motors Abeokuta 10km Race, which has been adjudged a successful event. The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, which is unarguably the biggest one-day event in Africa from its inception in 2015 has been organized according to the standard of IAAF, the world governing body for athletics.
From the over 50,000 participants that took part in the first edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, over 100,000 took part in the most recent edition that took place February 2019. While reacting to the latest enviable feat achieved by the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Race Promoter, Olopade, said the feat would not have been possible without the backing of the Lagos State Government. Olopade thanked the Lagos State Government for wholly believing in the noble idea and for offering full support financially, technically and in terms of security and logistics since inception. The Race Promoter also expressed gratitude to the Headline Sponsor Access Bank an organization that open its doors and embraced the marathon , and partners like 7Up, Bet9Ja, Eko Atlantic, who have been supportive in the past years as well as to the likes of Kia Motors, Revolution Plus and others who have also joined the train to make the marathon the toast of the town. Olopade also admitted that the media played a significant role in the success story of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon and he dedicated the latest Silver Label to Lagos State Government, Headline Sponsor Access Bank, other partners and members of the fourth estate for their selfless efforts to the course.
On his part, the General manager for the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Alli, said the next target was to go for Gold and then the Platinum Label, which is the highest award by the global body. Alli expresses confidence that the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will be awarded a Gold Label after the 2020 edition, which he assured will be organised to meet and even surpass the required standards in terms of the number of elite athletes, equipment, road closure, security, media engagement and other requirements that must be satisfied to merit a Gold Label.