AFN, Roster Athletics team up to end age cheating

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria confirms that it has taken a bold step in ending age falsification and poor athlete data management with the launch of a groundbreaking partnership with Roster Athletics.

The AFN President, Chief Tonobok Okowa, and the federation at large see the collaboration as a major turning point aimed at restoring credibility, transparency,y and global confidence in Nigerian athletics.

Brokered by AFN Secretary General, Israel Inwang, the deal will see the immediate deployment of the Roster Athletics competition management platform across all AFN Championships — introducing a secure, verifiable, and tamper-proof system that permanently addresses long-standing age discrepancy concerns.

“This partnership is not just about technology, it’s about restoring confidence and ensuring fairness,” Inwang said.

“We are taking concrete action to eliminate any doubt about our athletes’ credentials and our commitment to clean sport.”

Beyond national championships, the platform will be rolled out to state associations, clubs, and competition organisers nationwide, including road race organisers.

Features include secure online registration, automated seeding, real-time results integration, live competition tracking, and professional meet management tools.

Okowa described the move as a bold step to protect athletes and silence critics.

“For too long, negative narratives have overshadowed the achievements of our athletes,” he said.

“This partnership provides irrefutable documentation and international-standard verification that will showcase Nigerian athletics with the credibility it deserves.”

In a further reform push, AFN is introducing a compulsory athlete licensing system.

Every registered athlete will now carry a unique AFN license number throughout their career, renewed annually and fully integrated into international athletics databases.

The new system guarantees permanent athlete identification, transparent age documentation, complete career tracking, and zero room for identity manipulation.

“We are moving from defense to offense,” Inwang added. “Instead of reacting to criticism, we are building systems that make such criticism obsolete.”

With training and support already in place, AFN says all affiliated bodies can begin using the platform immediately, signaling the start of a new chapter defined by integrity, modernization, and accountability in Nigerian athletics.