Sports
Bayelsa Hosts NDDC’s Wrestling Tourney
The maiden edition the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) sponsored traditional wrestling tournament tagged “SMACK DOWN TOURNAMENT “will commence today in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Four states, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Akwa Ibom States will be involved in the tournament.
This was disclosed by the Technical Director of Geopecha’s Xtreme Kicks Sports, King Chris Odogwu, the organisers of the tournament, while briefing newsmen yesterday, in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the competition would commence today and end tomorrow at the Multi Purpose Hall of Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He said that the tournament is intended for talent discovery, grassroots sports development and curbing of youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region.
Odogwu explained that Geopecha’s Xtreme Kicks Sports is an organisation geared towards the transformation of Niger Deltans through sports.
“This programme is a trial edition, it is designed for youths (boys and girls) from four NDDC states, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Akwa-Ibom, including primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools. They would compete among themselves.
As I speak, every participant would take home the sum of N20,000 while winners the indifferent categories will be given a reward of N80,000 cash prize, each.This is an avenue for coaches to scout for talents and catch them young, he said.
The technical director, used the forum to appeal to corporate organisations to partner with them in the spirit of develop-sports and the youth in the area. He said that any company that partners with the organisation would enjoy tax holiday promised by the Niger Delta State governments.
He further commended the Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Akwa Ibom State governments, including NDDC and Odogwu photos for partnering with the organisation.
Tonye Orabere
Sports
CAA Wants Ghana To Host 2026 Athletics Champions
The Confederation of African Athletics has invited Ghana to bid for the hosting rights of the 2026 African Athletics Championships, following a successful athletics event at the just concluded 2023 African Games.
President of Ghana Athletics, Bawa Fuseini, stated this and expressed confidence in the transformative potential of the Legon Stadium for athletes and Ghana’s bid to host international competitions.
With a capacity of 11,000, the Legon Stadium played a pivotal role in the recent African Games, hosting both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as various sporting events including athletics, football, and rugby.
Fuseini highlighted the success of the athletics events held at the stadium, which contributed to Ghana winning six medals.
“We have already started getting requests from the Confederation of African Athletics to bid for the 2026 African Athletics Championships.
“When they came and saw what we have put in place and the level of organisation, they told me that for the last 20 years, they’ve never seen any organisation like this before. We did three official courses. And the last one, we had 110, all of them passed. We had a lot of officials and equipment.”
Since its establishment in 1979, Ghana has never hosted the African Athletics Championships, with Nigeria being the host country twice, in 1989 and 2018.
This year, Cameroon will take the reins as the host nation, with the event set to be held at the Olembe Stadium.
Sports
Onigbinde Not Sacked – Chairman
Chairman of Doma United, Suleiman Umar, has said head, coach Akinade Onigbinde was not relieved of his duties after the club announced former Kwara United, Niger Tornadoes and Katsina United coach, Abubakar Bala, as an addition to their technical crew.
Bala was announced as the technical adviser by the club on Wednesday.
According to the club, Bala’s appointment was necessitated by the dwindling fortunes of the team in the second stanza of the Nigeria Premier Football League, which has seen them drop to 13th in the table with 34 points after 27 matches.
“The appointment of Coach Bala is imperative given our recent challenges in the second half of the season. We believe his extensive experience in managing teams within the league will significantly contribute to our objective of maintaining our status,” Umar said in a statement.
“It’s worth noting that coach Bala will be collaborating closely with Coach Onigbinde and our dedicated coaching staff. The technical department is not open to all, and we caution against unwarranted meddling as we remain focused on our objectives.”
The Savannah Tigers are winless in eight matches since the start of the second stanza with their last win in the league being their 2-0 win over Katsina United in January.
Their performance is a stark contrast to the first half of the campaign, when they ranked in the top three.
With 11 matches to the end of the season, Bala and Onigbinde must find a way to rescue the club as they sit just three points above the relegation zone.
Sports
‘I’m Not Under Pressure To Coach Eagles’
Finidi George, head coach of the Nigeria Premier Football Leagues side, Enyimba, has stated that he is not losing any sleep over getting the Super Eagles job on a permanent basis.
Early this month, the Nigeria Football Federation declared the position of the Super Eagles’ head coach vacant, following the exit of Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who led the side to a second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup Nations in Ivory Coast in February.
In an advertisement on its website calling for applications with a March 13 deadline, the football governing body stated that the prospective Eagles coach “must have proven experience at the elite level of football.”
The former Ajax man, who also applied for the job, was appointed Eagles interim coach for the international window with the former winger picking a win and suffering a defeat.
In an interview with Tidesports source, the 52-year-old tactician said he was not desperate for the job permanently.
“I felt really good when I was told to take charge of the team. I have been with the team for almost two years, I know all the players, their strengths, and their weaknesses but I am only here to serve Nigeria the way I know how to do stuff.
“I will just take these two games and go back to my club. Whatever the decision is taken after, so be it. I’m not under pressure to say I must get the role permanently.”
-
News12 hours ago
FG Commits To Revival Of Country’s Cotton, Textile, Garment Sectors
-
Entertainment10 hours ago
Kanayo O Kanayo Plays Starring Role In ‘Out Of Breath’
-
Business5 days ago
NCS Signs MOU With Tax Board For Effective Management
-
News4 days ago
NiMet Forecasts Three-Day Sunshine, Haziness From Today
-
Niger Delta4 days ago
Gunmen Kidnap 10 In Edo
-
Nation2 days ago
Gombe Opens Bid For Construction Of Three-Arm Zone Project
-
Rivers17 hours ago
Rivers Police Arrest 26 Car Snatcher Suspects
-
News11 hours ago
Fubara Felicitates Tinubu On 72nd Birthday