BY JACOB AJOM

The death of the Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria ( AFN ) Mr. Sunday Bada has been described as “….Shocking and unbelievable”

Chief Jonathan Ogufere, President of the Association of Sports Veterans Nigeria said in Lagos yesterday that the news was “ Unfair, shocking and unbelievable, taking the Nigerian sports scene by storm.

“ We were cruelly visited by the news. We knew he had fully recovered from the accident he sustained two years ago and we did not envisage that he will leave us so soon” she Ogufere said.

In a press release made available to the media, the former President of the West African Football Union and board member of the Nigeria Football Association said by this news, death has robbed Nigeria of a young and dynamic administrator who lived for the sport that made him famous.

“Only a few Nigerians can claim to have put back something into the sport that made them famous. Bada was one of them. Track and Field and indeed Nigeria’s sporting fraternity will miss him” Chief Ogufere said.

Meanwhile, the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos Chapter has commiserated with the family of the former Africa 400 metres champion, Sunday Bada who slumped and died December 12, 2011 while watching an English Premiership League match between Chelsea and Manchester City.

“We received with rude shock the sudden death of former Africa 400 metres champion, Sunday Bada. By his demise Nigeria has lost a true patriot whose commitment to national glory in his active days was legendary”.

•••Olympians honour him

Meanwhile, The 2011 J.K. Randle Olympic Dinner was  held at the Muson Centre Lagos Tuesday, December 13th. Primarily, it is an event for Olympians who are called by the Randle family to convivalise in a relaxed environment.

For the family it is the best way to commemorate the birthday of their progenitor. It usually wears a carnival-like atmosphere where beauty and fashion hold sway.

At Tuesday’s event things were different. Generally, the mood was solemn, as news of the death of one of Nigeria’s most accomplished athletes, an Olympian himself, Sunday Bada subdued the atmosphere.

A minute silence was observed before the commencement of the event and all Olympians in attendance wore black armbands in memory of their departed colleague.

Speaker after speaker extolled the qualities of the late athlete and when the President of the Nigerian Olympian Association of Nigeria, Henry Amike agreed to make a brief remark everybody sat still to listen.

“We(Olympians) met this afternoon and decided not to attend this event because of the sudden death of Sunday Bada.On a second thought we later agreed to come because the late J.K. Randle was one of us. He left long ago and life continued, today Sunny has gone life must go on. You can see that every Olympian here is wearing a black armband. Sunday left my office 7 pm hat he was going to the airport only to hear an hour later that he was dead.”

Amike thanked the J.K. Randle family for their consistency and sense of patriotism.