Preparations are gathering pace for the eighth Government College Ughelli Relays after the delivery of advanced technical equipment, as GCU Old Boys Association Worldwide president HRM Albert Akpomudje (SAN) pledged a standout edition of the secondary schools athletics event.
Key takeaways
- The eighth GCU Relays is set to take place on Saturday, November 14.
- An electronic start system and Timetronics photo-finish technology will be used at the meet.
- The 2026 competition will be the final edition staged under Akpomudje’s current national executive committee.
- Former Olympian Ruks Bazunu has arrived as the event’s ambassador.
- The annual competition aims to strengthen secondary-school athletics, particularly Nigeria’s sprinting pipeline.
Upgraded technology for the track and field meet
This year’s competition will operate with an enhanced technical set-up, including an electronic starting gun and the Delta State Sports Commission’s Timetronics photo-finish equipment.
Retired Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, a World Athletics Technical Official who also previously served at the Youth Olympic Games, said the electronic gun provides far greater precision than conventional pellet-operated start devices. In addition to removing the expense of pellets, he explained, the system integrates directly with the Timetronics technology to deliver more reliable and efficient finish-line results.
Final edition under current executive
The 2026 meet will be the last GCU Relays overseen by Akpomudje’s national executive committee, whose term is due to end in January 2027. Akpomudje said the leadership intends to make it a defining occasion by attracting more schools and competitors, bringing back the customary bonfire and recapturing the event’s original standing under former leaders Professor Oritsegbemi Omatete and Architect Chief Charles Majoroh.
Momentum ahead of the competition has also increased with the arrival of ambassador Ruks Bazunu, the former Olympian who has continued to divide his time between the United States and Nigeria in support of the relays.
Run annually by GCUOBA Worldwide, the GCU Relays were created to reinvigorate athletics at secondary-school level, with particular emphasis on sprint events, an area that has traditionally been one of Nigeria’s strongest in track and field.
