By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
World Athletics has appointed Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (Rtd) as an International Referee for the 2026 World Athletics Relays scheduled to hold in Gaborone, Botswana, from May 2 to May 3.
The appointment was confirmed in a formal communication from the Local Organising Committee of the World Athletics Relays Gaborone 2026, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
According to the organisers, the selection reflects confidence in Nesiama’s technical expertise, professionalism and ability to uphold fairness and excellence during the global competition.
Nesiama’s appointment marks a historic first for Nigeria, as he becomes the first Nigerian technical official to serve as a referee at the World Athletics Relays.
The retired naval officer currently chairs the Technical and Development Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and is also a member of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Technical and Competitions Commission.
He previously served as Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and has worked widely as a sports management consultant, competition director, technical delegate and World Athletics-certified lecturer.
Nesiama was a referee at the 2024 African Games in Accra, Ghana, where he also trained Ghanaian technical officials ahead of the event.
As part of preparations for the Gaborone relays, he has also been invited to officiate at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix scheduled to take place a week before the world event.
Sports stakeholders say the appointment reflects growing international recognition of Nigerian technical officials and the country’s increasing influence in global athletics administration.