Sports
Pistorius ‘ll Be Back On Track – Agent
Oscar Pistorius will be welcomed at certain meetings when he returns to athletics, according to his agent.
The athlete, who denies murder after the shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp at his South Africa home in February, is on bail awaiting trial.
A court changed the 26-year-old’s bail restrictions last week to allow him travel abroad for competitions.
“I’ve received emails of support from various meeting directors,” Peet van Zyl told Tidesports source.
“When the time is right, we will approach competitions and I’m sure there will be guys out there who will be willing to have him back out on their track.
“But he is the only one who can determine if and when he is ready to train and return to competition.”
The South African double amputee, who is known as ‘Blade Runner’ because of his prosthetic legs, is on bail after being charged with the premeditated murder of Steenkamp, who was shot dead at his Pretoria home on 14 February.
Pistorius claims he mistook her for an intruder at his home.
Van Zyl, has also not ruled out the prospect of the athlete competing at August’s World Championships in Moscow.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which is the body responsible for the World Championships, told Tidesports source that Pistorius, who has competed at both Olympics and Paralympics, would be “free to run” in the event on the “basis of the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ principle”.
“First and foremost, he has to be ready to train and compete,” said van Zyl. “Once he is ready and feels he is up for training again, we will have him back on the track.
“He is a world-class athlete and if he does compete again this season – and if he achieves the qualifying times – it is something you would have to consider, but it is early days.
“He hasn’t trained for eight weeks, so to get back into competition form he would have to train first and it will take him time to get back to that level.”
Nova, the company which organises the Manchester City Games, said there were “no plans to invite him over” after the change in his bail conditions. Pistorius withdrew from the event, to be held on 25 May, after being charged.
It is also believed he is unlikely to be invited to compete at the London Anniversary Games in July at the Olympic Stadium.
At London 2012, Pistorius became the first double amputee to run at an Olympics. as he took part in both the 400m and 4x400m.
He then won gold medals in the T44 400m and T42-46 4x100m at the Paralympics, as well as silver in the T44 200m. The International Paralympic Committee told Tidesports source that Pistorius matter would be discussed at the IPC Athletics Championships, which take place in Lyon in July.
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.