Sports
US To Promote Baseball In Nigeria
The Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy, Abuja, Russell Brooks, said the U. S. was willing to partner with Nigeria to promote the game of baseball in the country.
Brooks spoke to Tidesports source on the sidelines of a baseball youth programme in Abuja.
He said that the camp, which opened at the weekend with an exhibition match and presentation of certificates of participation by the organisers at the Baseball pitch of the Package B National Stadium.
The week-long youth baseball camp, which was organised by the U. S. embassy and the Baseball Tomorrow Academy, featured a former major league baseball pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie,.
“Nigerians love sport and they share that in common with Americans.
“We are a sports crazy country and certainly any opportunity we have to promote collaboration between our countries is something we want to do,” he said.
No fewer than 60 youths drawn from five states in the country participated in the programme and were taught various skills in the game of baseball.
They also recieved instructions and technical advice on how to improve their skills to become better baseball players.
Brooks said that the future of the game in the country was bright, adding that all that was required was more training and opportunities for the youths to play.
“Today the children were able to put to use all the education and training about baseball which they received during the course of the programme.
“So they put it all together. We saw the pitchers doing a great job and the batters hitting the ball very well.
“That showed they had learnt a lot even with the few days they had with the former major league baseball player.
“Obviously, if they continue to play and have opportunities to receive good coaching, well I think the future is very bright for these young children,” he said.
He explained that the programme, among others things, aimed at providing the youths with instructions and life skills, adding that the U. S. embassy was always a willing partner of such programmes.
“We at the U. S. embassy are always interested in supporting programmes that empower youths and encourage them to succeed because we recognise that the youth represent the future of Nigeria.
“We want Nigeria to be a strong and prosperous country and that can only be possible if the youths are empowered to be successful and educated citizens.
“So, it is our pleasure to have been part of this programme. It was indeed a fantastic success and we want to thank Guthrie for his participation as well as Baseball Tomorrow Academy for their contribution.
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
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