The tartan tracks of the Teslim Balogun Stadium will be on fire from December 6 as the 2013 African Masters Athletics Championships begins in Lagos. The competition ends on December 7,  the Local Organising Committee of the competition has said.

President of the Nigerian Masters, Dr. Gloria Obajimi, said the event, which is second in the series and initially scheduled to hold in mid-2013, was delayed till the end of the year due to a lack of fund. The first edition of the competition was held in South Africa last year.

Belgium, Egypt , Niger Republic , Ghana , South Africa , Cameroon and Ivory Coast are some of the countries that will be represented at the 2013 edition.

“We’re expecting about 250 former athletes at the event,” Obajimi said on Tuesday.

“It is an invitational competition but it is also open to athletes over 35 years. We don’t expect anyone to perform at the optimum level which they were used to at major events; they should compete in the standard their ages can afford.

“Lack of funds has caused the competition to be delayed till now. The several corporate organisations we’ve cried to for help have not responded but we’re determined to host the event this year.

The fund is still not available but members of the Local Organising Committee have decided to make individual contributions and ensure Nigeria does not disappoint the world by not being able to host the event.”

Obajimi said the essence of the competition is to keep the former athletes healthy and create the platform for them to interact with their former sporting rivals.

“We have found out that many athletes that have represented this country in the past are not living well. They have health challenges which organisations such as the IAAF have acknowledged,” she said.

The Athletics Masters was set up in England in 1934, and four years later established in Spain .

The organisers expect to spend approximately N50,000 on each of the invited athletes. The cost will cover for accommodation, transport and feeding.

“We’re grateful to the governor of Lagos State , Babatunde Fashola, for allowing us to use the Teslim Balogun Stadium for the event. The state sports commissioner, Waheed Oshodi, has also been supportive in addressing logistic problems.”