Sports
17th NSF: A Statement Of Excellence, Peace, Security
At last, the 17th National Sports Festival tagged “Garden City Games” is here in the city of Port Harcourt. The formal opening ceremony takes place on Sunday at Nigeria’s Mount of Liberation, the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt.
Port Harcourt city and indeed Rivers State by hosting the 17th edition of the Games has joined the league of Nigerian cities and states that have hosted the National Festival more than once after Port Harcourt hosted for the first time in the history of the games in 1988.
In 1988, the Alfred Diete Spiff Sports Centre otherwise called Civic Centre was the highest sports facility in the state.
Today, Rivers State and Port Harcourt city in particular now has an ultra modern sports complex at the Greater Port Harcourt city axis housing world class facilities such as swimming pools, hockey pitch, tennis court and a 25 thousand capacity Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium nearing completion among others.
The presence of the new sports complex does not in any way undermine the state of the art sporting facilities at the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, the Liberation Stadium and at the old hawks, Civic Centre in the heart of Port Harcourt city.
Besides, what is probably significant is the corporate philosophy and the ideals of the Garden City Games to the host state and the nation at large.
For instance, the logo of the games in Port Harcourt has key elements which include among others things the map of Rivers State with the blue colour evincing the peaceful and hospitable nature of the Government and people of Rivers State.
The Logo further shows a calm flowing river which portrays abiding love existing among the 23 Local Government Areas while the icons bearing the Festival Torch of Unity represents the athletes of the participating states symbolising the promotion of natural interaction.
On the other hands, the colours of green and white represent national colours, natural beauty and friendly environment for the games while the orange colour is an encouraging factor urging athletes to exert energy and passion to win laurels.
Similarly, the Garden City Games has a mascot named “IBIKA” which means good friend for the 17th National Sports Festival.
In this regard, a sea mammal, the Dolphin, was aptly chosen because of his friendly disposition to humans and wonderful maneuver among obstacle with great ease and style.
Rivers State was compared to Dolphin because its people are hospitable, friendly drawing their linguistic diversity and common aquatic culture and having the ability to handle its challenges.
The costume of the mascot epitomises a combination of the rich cultural heritage of Rivers State, love for Nigeria and the relevance of National Sports Festival to national integration.
It is pertinent to point out that the bowler hat, with the festival Logo crest, firmly seated on the head of the dolphin is indicative of dignity of the Rivers man while the Nigerian map cuddled with both fins bears the insignia of various sports exhibiting the love sportsman and women have for the nation, Nigeria.
Interestingly, the National Sports Festival was established in 1973 to midwife and promote friendship, unity and national integration for a nation that just came out of a bitter civil war.
The Yakubu Gowon administration envisaged that by taking the festival to each state in every two year, the much-needed love would no doubt permeate the fabric of the Nigerian state and heal the bitter wound inflicted by the civic war.
It is on record that Lagos the capital city then hosted the inaugural National Sports Festival in 1973 and hosted again in 1975 while Kaduna hosted in 1977, Ibadan in 1979, Bennin City in former Bendel State hosted in 1981, lIorin, Kwara State in 1985 and Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital hosted in 1988.
The torch of national unity of the festival moved to Bauchi as Bauchi hosted the 12th edition in 1991, Benue 1996, Imo 1998 and Bauchi again in 2000.
Benin City in the present day Edo State hosted in 2002, Abuja the Federal Capital Territory hosted in 2004, Abeokuta Ogun State in 2006 while the 16th edition also called Kada Games scheduled for 2008, however, took place in 2009 and now the 17th edition takes place in Port Harcourt city.
Since Port Harcourt city and indeed Rivers State is hosting for the second time, Rivers State is not new to hosting national sports festival and National Sports Festival is not new to Rivers State.
The messages depicted by the Logo and mascot are clear attestation to the fact that Rivers State is making a statement inviting Nigerians to enjoy the of love, friendship and peaceful co-existence in the state.
Already, the state government has planned a wonderful and remarkable formal opening ceremony consequent upon which the opening ceremony was shifted by one day from Saturday 2nd to Sunday 3rd July 2011 at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt.
As the formal opening ceremony takes place this weekend, various state contingents have started arriving the state and the city will be host to over twelve thousand athletes and officials.
This figure does not include tens of thousand of sports loving Nigerians that will throng the city as well business men and women who will take advantage of the influx of people to transact various legitimate businesses.
The Government must therefore lubricate its machinery agencies and get set to swing into action when duty calls beginning from the arrival of contingents.
These agencies include security, health and emergency and transportation interallia while religious organisations, civil society groups and other voluntary organisation must be ready to render selfless service to guests, and participating athletes and officials to make the games a success.
The State itself stands to benefit from Micro economic activities associated with the influx of guests, athletes and officials for the Garden City Games.
In this regard, taxi and bus drivers as well as those in the hospitality business must be fair and honest to guest in the discharge of their duties.
Above all, organisers should ensure that all facilities earmarked for the games are tested before actual usage.
But one thing is clear: the Garden City games in Port Harcourt is a commitment to uphold national unity and a statement of peaceful coexistence among the diversed people of Rivers State.
Welcome to the 17th National Sports Festival, Garden City Games 2011.
Sika writes in from Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation, RSBC.
Baridorn Sika
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.