Unless there is a turn around of fortunes, Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN is set to struggle with finances to keep its golden league running in the 2012 season.

After three seasons of trying, the federation is finding it difficult to find a major sponsor for the Golden League, the only competition available for local athletes who are unable to travel to Europe for meets.

The Golden League transfigured from the AFN Classics, which helped shape some of the best known Nigerian athletes in recent history. The last time a sponsor favoured the competition was in 1999 during the time of Yomi Adeyemi-Wilson. Even at that time, the sponsor, an Insurance firm hardly met its obligations.

“The Golden League is our major competition and it is important that we keep it running. We have been trying our best to find a sponsor for it and we have not given up hope yet,” said AFN technical director, Sunday Bada who was one of the athletes who cut his teeth in the AFN Classics.