Sports
12 States For 2010 Olympic Day Celebration
No fewer than 12 states will participate in the Olympic Day celebration to be marked nationwide on July 3, the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has said.
Austin Odigie, the Logistics Officer of the Olympic Day Project in the NOC, told newsmen at the weekend in Enugu that more states were expected to join.
The 12 states are Lagos, Bayelsa, Ondo, Plateau, Niger, Akwa Ibom , Imo, Anambra, Edo, Ekiti, Rivers and Delta.
Odigie, however, noted that it was sad that a state such as Enugu, which was among the first to indicate interest, could pull out of the celebration.
“This is sad for a state that ought to be in the forefront of the celebration, being a state that has produced top Olympic athletes.”
Matthew Idu, the Enugu State Commissioner for Sports, however, said that he had not completely ruled out the state as he was still making efforts to get the government to back its participation.
“We want to keep the Olympic dream alive,” Idu said.
The state only needed to settle the mandatory N40,000 approval fee with the NOC to take part, committee officials said.
The Public Relations Officer of the NOC, Tony Nezianya, said states in the South-East needed to use sports as a vehicle to promote the values of Olympism among their youths.
“The Spirit of Olympism can help to combat the scourge of kidnapping which is fast eroding social values among the youth of the zone,” Nezianya said.
He added that no fewer than 100,000 participants from various states of the federation would take part in the celebration.
The NOC, under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has a programme to accommodate the states and the Federal Capital Territory in the event.
Already, all the commissioners and directors responsible for sports have been sensitised to ensure that their states take part in the celebration, according to Nezianya.
The Olympic Day was initiated in 1987 by the IOC to commemorate the founding of the Olympic Movement under the leadership of “Mr Olympics”, Frenchman Baron Pierre De Coubertin, on June 23, 1894.
The event is aimed at everyone, whatever his or her sporting ability, to practise a sport, run or do an exercise.
The Olympic Day is an ideal platform for highlighting the benefits of physical activity in general, particularly for young people, thus allowing them to learn about Olympic values and put them into practice in their everyday life.
The Olympic Day will be broken down in stages of 3 km, 6 km and 10 km to accommodate various age groups.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
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