Sports

NSC To Institute Pre-Competition Drug Tests

Published

7 years ago

August 4, 2014

The Chairman, National
Sports Commission, Mr Tammy Danagogo, has said that the commission would henceforth conduct pre-competition drug tests on athletes before they feature in any competition.
This is contained in a statement by Danagogo’s Special Assistant on Media, Patrick Omorodion, at the weekend in Abuja.
Omorodion quoted Danagogo who is also the Minister of Sports as expressing desire to use his office to enshrine the tenets of integrity and fair competition in Nigerian sports.
The statement said Danagogo was reacting to the failed drug test by 16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter, Chika Amalaha at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Te first drug-test failure of our female weightlifter is very embrarrassing and I feel so saddened.
“Nevertheless I must use my office as Sports Minister to enshrine the tenets of integrity and fair competition in our sports, especially as it concerns youths.
“In this regard, I will ensure the use of Magnetic Resonanece Imaging (MRI) scanning devices among others as routine on our age-grade players and pre-competition drug tests regime on athletes generally.
“Officials and coaches who are found to encourage or condone cheating of any kind will face severe sanctions,” it quoted Danagogo as saying.
Amalaha who won gold in the 53kg category was first providionally suspended from the Games.
Her ‘A sample’ was found to contain amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, both prohibited as diuretics and masking agents under class S5 World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list.
But she pursued her right to have her B sample tested on July 30. The second test also returned positive.

Sports

Tokyo 2020: Nigerian Wrestlers Are Medal Hopefuls -Coach

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2021

The Tide

National wrestling coach Akuh Purity, has stated that Nigerian wrestlers going to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have real medal chances this time, compared to the 2016 Olympics with less than a month to the games in Tokyo.
Purity, speaking in a chat with Tidesports source stressed that better exposure and competition experience already put the Nigerian wrestlers as medal prospects.
He added that the wrestlers had actually competed against the very best in the world in the run-in to the Tokyo Olympics and have an idea of almost whatever anyone of the top guns will offer.

Sports

Ex-D’Tigers Player Becomes NBA Head Coach

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2021

The Tide

Former D’tigers player Ime Udoka has been appointed the new coach for Boston Celtics in the NBA.
Udoka had been considered a front-runner for the job, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last Friday that Udoka was among the candidates who received second interviews.
Udoka, 43, spent seven years on Gregg Popovich’s staff in San Antonio, including the 2013-14 season, when the Spurs won the NBA title.
He joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 and was with the Nets last year.
Udoka was a member of the Nigerian national team, for whom he played at the 2006 FIBA World Championships.

Sports

B/Volleyball: Nigeria Defeats Kenya In Olympic Qualifiers

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2021

The Tide

Nigeria beat Kenya 2-1 (21-13, 19-21, 15-13) in the golden match to record their first win in the men’s category of the Tokyo Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifiers in Morocco.
Nigeria Team A (Obayemi Ogunshina and Hilary Simon) lost to Kenya Team B 0-2 (15-21, 13-21) in the first encounter before Nigeria Team B consisting of Emenike Ezike and Emmanuel Chidebere defeated Kenya Team A (21-16, 21-16) in the second encounter.
The head coach of Nigeria beach volleyball team, Francis Imoudu commended the players for putting all their effort against Kenya.
Imoudu stated that Kenya gave Nigeria a good fight but the better side won the game.
He said, “This win is an indication that the men’s team is ready for their remaining opponents. I must commend the fighting spirit of the team because bookmakers had given the game to the Kenyans but we shocked Africa.
“Kenya is a good side but Nigeria did not show them any respect on the court. We will take each game as they come and all we need is the support of Nigerians home and abroad for these boys to succeed”.
Reacting to the victory, the Chairman Caretaker Committee of Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod lauded the players for recording their first win of the beach volleyball Olympic qualifiers.
He said the Federation will continue to support the team adding that the players should show no respect to their remaining opponents in the qualifiers.