Nesiama set to anchor GCU relays 2026 as 8th edition gets November date
By Uzor Odigbo
The eighth edition of the Government College Ughelli (GCU) Relays has been scheduled to hold November 14, 2026, as organisers maintain the competition’s traditional second-Saturday-ofNovember calendar.
The date was formally confirmed by the President General Worldwide of the Government College Ughelli Old Boys Association (GCUOBA), His Royal Majesty Albert Akpomudje, (SAN), during the association’s latest National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
The NEC also approved other major GCUOBA activities, including its annual dinner in Benin City in October and the Lagos Luncheon scheduled for December.
The 2026 GCU Relays will come shortly after the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, scheduled for October 31 to November 13, where the newly appointed head of the GCU Relays, Retired Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, will serve as one of the Technical Directors of the inaugural African edition of the event.
Nesiama, a former Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and chairman of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Technical and Development Commission, will take charge of the organisation and technical delivery of this year’s GCU Relays.
He is expected to work closely with the Delta State Sports Commission, which will provide the TimeTronics electronic timing system, as well as the Nigerian Association of Athletics Technical Officials (NAATO), to ensure efficient and hitch-free conduct of the competition.
Now entering its nineth year of existence, with one edition lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, the GCU Relays has become an important platform for reviving the historic rivalry among old secondary schools in Nigerian athletics.
More than 30 schools and 500 student-athletes are expected to converge on the tartan track of Government College Ughelli for the 2026 edition.
The athletics facility was built and donated to the school through the NNPC-SHELL Joint Venture.
With its combination of inter-school competition, athletics development and the revival of traditional school rivalries, the GCU Relays continues to provide a major platform for young athletes to showcase their talents.
