The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) on Wednesday announced the shifting of its Golden League third leg, originally scheduled for Ilorin, to the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, AFN’s Technical Director, told the News Agency of Nigeria on that the league would still hold on May 18.

Nesiama said that the shift was to allow the African Junior Championship athletes in camp at UNIPORT to participate in the league.

“The league will now hold in Port Harcourt and no longer in Ilorin because we want to give opportunity to qualified athletes at the UNIPORT camp to participate.

“We also have to consider the athletes in camp and besides, it will also contribute to their training,” he said.

He also said that any athlete caught with the performance enhancing substance at the league would be sanctioned.

According to him, the AFN was determined to get it right and ensure that athletes achieved their best without enhancing substances.

The director, however, advised athletes participating at the league to strictly abide by the AFN code of conduct.

Nesiama said that the AFN gave the advice as a result of the boycott that occurred at the second leg of the league which failed to hold at Benin in April.

“The participating states, clubs and athletes are advised to abide by the AFN Code of Conduct as well as compete fairly in trying to achieve desired performance,” he said.

It would be  recalled that the league’s second leg in Benin was abandoned due to the unruly behaviour by some athletes who protested to AFN that the standard for the league was too high.