By Uzor Odigbo
Former Athletics Federation of Nigeria Technical Director, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (retired) has been appointed as Referee for the athletics events of the African Games billed for March 8-24 in Accra, Ghana.
Commodore Nesiama is one of the highest graded Technical Officials in Africa having attained the enviable World Athletics Silver level status and thereafter appointed into the Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) Technical Officials Panel in 2017.
In 2021, he was nominated to train the Ghanaian Technical Officials in preparation for the All-Africa Games.
Commodore Nesiama has proved his mettle as a Technical Official of repute at a couple of continental competitions which include the Africa U-18, U-20 and the Senior Athletics Championship at different times.
Specifically, he was the Competition Director for the first ever Africa Youth Championships (U-18) held in 2013 at Warri, Nigeria.
Nesiama is on record to be the first Nigerian to have passed the qualifying examination to be licensed as a World Athletics Athletes’ Representative when it was introduced in 2011.
He is a World Athletics certified technical officials’ lecturer and has been a member of the CAA Technical and Competitions Commission since 2014.
When asked how he felt about the appointment, Commodore Nesiama said he his quite happy about the recognition and nomination by CAA. He promises to do his best to ensure his performance in the areas assigned would attract more accolades to the pride of Nigeria as his country.
He also believes it would inspire more athletic lovers to take up technical officiating
