Sports
2019: Nigerian Wrestlers Record Impressive Outing
Nigerian wrestlers in 2019 lived up to expectations as they hope for better things in 2020 with their performances.
Already, President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Hon. Daniel Igali has hailed their performances, describing 2019 as a ‘very good year’ for the sport.
While speaking in his office in Yenagoa, Hon. Igali, who is also the Sports Commissioner in Bayelsa State, added that the wrestlers, who won lots of laurels at both continental and global championships this year, performed incredibly well and deserve commendation.
“I think till date, the performances of the Nigerian wrestling team this year were probably the most outstanding of the past seven, eight years,” he said.
“Starting from the African Championships (in Tunisia) where, again, our women became overall African champions for the 7th time in a row, and then, looking at the 12th African Games (in Morocco), where we again dominated not only as a female team, but as the overall best team in Africa in female wrestling, male wrestling and Greco Roman by coming home with seven gold medals.
“Then to the World Championships in Kazakhstan, where Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg) qualified for the Olympics by winning a bronze medal; a historic bronze medal. She’s, without a doubt, become the measuring rod in Nigeria Wrestling Federation, winning three medals within four years at the World Championships. That is outstanding, and you can’t really take anything away from her.
“Blessing Oborududu (68kg) at the same competition (at the World Championships in Kazakhstan) was just one placing away from qualifying for the Olympics. She placed seventh instead of sixth.
“And Mercy Genesis (50kg) won a silver medal at the World Beach Games (in Doha), while Blessing Onyebuchi (+70kg) became our world champion in Beach wrestling by winning a gold medal. And those were the two medals Nigeria won out of the team that was presented.”
Still reflecting on the achievements of the wrestlers this year, the Olympic and world champion added that it would be difficult to surpass their feat considering the lean budget the federation operates on.
“As we speak, we have two athletes ranked in the top four in the world,” he noted. “Blessing Oborududu (68kg) is No. four and Adekuoroye Odunayo (57kg) is No. two.
“And I doubt if there is any other sport, outside of Paralympic sports, that has two athletes ranked in the top four in the world.
“Those are just the competitions that have come off the top of my head. If we are to look at the Grand Prix (ranking) tournaments we had in Germany and Bulgaria, where we had our athletes win international medals, that goes to tell me that we had a very good season. A season that will be hard to replicate, especially when you compare the level of funding we have against what we’re able to achieve as a federation.
“So, looking back, I will say this is a very good year for Nigerian wrestling,” the vice president of the Commonwealth Wrestling Board concluded.
Not Yet Uhuru For Basketball
Basketball is one of the sports that truly did the nation proud internationally, if the performances of the nation’s men and women teams are anything to go bye.
The men team, D’Tigers qualified for the 2020 Olympics by being the best African team at the last World Cup that held in China where it defeated the host team in its last game to pick the sole African ticket.They placed 17th in a 32 team tournament.
At the beginning of the year, the team was the first African country to qualify for the World Cup winning their first nine qualifying games on the bounce.
D’Tigress, the women team retained the Afrobasket title beating Senegal, the host nation, in the final 60-55. It also picked one of the tickets for the 2020 Olympics qualifying Tournament in Mozambique in November.
D’Tigress are grouped with the hosts Serbia, world champions USA and Mozambique in the same group for the tournament, from which three tickets will be won for next summer’s Olympiad. To qualify for the tournament, D’Tigress need to win just a game and they are expected to beat fellow Africans, Mozambique.
And ahead of the event in February, D’Tigress coach, Otis Hughley named 14 players that will resume camping at the start of the year.
Reacting to the draw which pitched them against USA, President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Ahmed Musa Kida, said qualification for the 2020 Olympics was possible despite admitting that it was a difficult draw.
“Being drawn against world number one (USA) and seven (Serbia) surely will not make the job easy but I am optimistic that qualification for the Olympics is possible,” Kida said.
“We know that tournament of this magnitude costs money, time and proper planning. We are going to be working with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, the Honorable Minister, Hon. Sunday Dare to ensure that we return to the Olympic Games,” he said.
He went further: “The men have already qualified and all eyes are on our women to also join their counterpart in Tokyo. D’Tigress are the reigning African Champions and we hope this will count for something when they start the qualifiers,” he said.
Of course, one knows that to go unbeaten in four years with an incredible 16-0 record has handed Nigeria the undisputed crown of African basketball and yet according to captain Adaora Elonu, D’Tigress are just getting started.
Back -to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket champions, they targeting a place at the high table of the world stage and to do that, they need to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and compete at that level.
Such an accomplishment is not a walk in the park. If anything, they will have to be on top of their game to achieve this target and further chase their dream to conquer the world.
In an exclusive interview with FIBA.basketball, Nigeria Elonu said, “ We needed this to continue to fight for a chance to attend the Olympics.
“For Nigeria, I think it means that we are making them proud. We work very hard and are still working to reach our goals. Nigeria has been very supportive of our success and we are glad we have been doing well thus far.
“It has been great. Many ups and downs at times where the players and staff have had to preserve and showing this record makes it seem worth it.
“The next level will be another challenge. These windows are difficult for all teams. Not much time for preparation and review.
“Our team has dealt with little preparations for many years and it is a luxury we know that can be very valuable. We are excited and ready to see our placement and country and have one mind there,” Elonu explained further.
“We are blessed and it will be an amazing achievement for us to reach the Olympics. It has always been on the mind of the federation and players and the opportunity is getting near. Talent can be abundant but having a good coach and players who have a similar mindset is what is critical.”
Following their impressive outing at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife, Spain, Nigeria are hungry for more international exposure for it gives them cult status in Africa.
Their improvement in the way they approach every game is visible to anyone with eyes that can see and it is this exact reason that keeps them on their toes wanting more and more.
Elonu highlighted that when she said, “It would be fantastic and similar to qualifying for the World Cup – a big achievement for Nigeria.
“We have one player who has been there before – Aisha Balarabe – and a flock of others who want to experience the event and compete.”
However, it is not uhuru for the sport as domestic success fail to match the international successes. The division one league has failed to be organized as expected die to the lingering division in the federation. Several of the clubs hold their allegiance to the former board which has polarized the home front.
Even at that Kida has vowed to ensure that the league will bounce back in a big way.
According to him, re-organising the league from the lower division was very important.
To this end, Total Nigeria is sponsoring the second division of the league, a league that has never gotten sponsorship in the country.
Brian Brobbey scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner as Sunderland came from behind to beat Newcastle United in a thrilling Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park.
Newcastle had been on target for their first home victory in this fixture since 2010 when Anthony Gordon gave the hosts a ninth-minute lead.
Sunderland played out from the back but defender Luke O’Nien’s pass was intercepted by Nick Woltemade and he gave it to Gordon, who did the rest to score his 17th goal of the season.
The hosts almost made it 2-0 just before the break, but Sven Botman headed against the post following a cross from left-back Lewis Hall, one of five Newcastle players to be included in Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, another called up by Tuchel, did not get great distance on a punch, the ball was played back into the box, Brobbey chested it goalwards and Dan Burn cleared off the line, only for Chemsdine Talbi to fire in the rebound.
Noah Sadiki had a chance to put Sunderland ahead, only for him to shoot at Ramsdale.
Yet it did not prove costly as Brobbey scored the late winner, to the delight of the away fans, when he converted a rebound from close range after Ramsdale saved his first attempt.
The result gives Sunderland their first league double over Newcastle since 2014-15.
Rangers International technical adviser Fidelis Ilechukwu has credited his recent stint with the Super Eagles under head coach Eric Chelle as a major factor behind the club’s resurgence in the Nigeria Premier Football League title race, Tidesports source reports.
Speaking ahead of Rangers’ matchday 31 fixture against El Kanemi Warriors in Enugu, Ilechukwu said the experience gained at international level has significantly influenced his approach, particularly in the areas of intensity, discipline and overall team structure.
“Change is constant in life. After working closely with Eric Chelle, the mentality I got from him is not an easy one. The training sessions are super intense, about 80 per cent of what we do now is heavy training,” he said.
Ilechukwu maintained that the discipline and structure he adopted during his time with the national team have translated directly into improved performances at the club level.
“I think my return has had a positive impact defensively, offensively, everything. The preparation, the pep talks, the quality, it gives confidence. I came back with an advantage,” he said.
Rangers have enjoyed a remarkable run since his return from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, losing just once in 11 matches, with six wins, four draws and seven clean sheets propelling them firmly into contention.
They currently sit second on the table with 50 points, just one behind leaders Rivers United, with eight matches remaining in the season.
Despite their strong position, Ilechukwu insisted his side will not be weighed down by pressure as the title race intensifies.
“There is no different message, we don’t want to be under pressure because of the league. We take it one game after the other, after this game we talk about the next one,” he said.
He added that his players possess the necessary qualities to compete at the highest level.
“They understand what it takes to win. They have the attitude, the capacity, the character, and they understand what we want. To me, we are always ready,” he said.
While acknowledging the strength of Rivers United, Ilechukwu maintained that the title race remains open heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
“They are the strongest team, but you never can tell what will happen. We are also strong. In the remaining games, we will fight more and stay at the top of our game but without pressure,” he said.
Having guided Rangers to the NPFL title in the 2023/24 season, Ilechukwu is now aiming to secure his second league crown in three years as the Enugu side continue their pursuit of the title.
Odegbami described CAF’s decision to overturn the Jan. 18 final result as “bizarre, condemnable and unjustifiable.”
As reported by Tidesports source on Saturday, he noted that Senegal were crowned champions and celebrated globally before the verdict was reversed on technical grounds.
“It is unheard of in football history. You cannot take away a trophy won on the pitch two months after,” he said.
Odegbami said the decision had sparked outrage among football fans and stakeholders worldwide.
“This judgment has shaken CAF’s credibility. It is not surprising the world is up in arms,” he added.
The ex-Nigerian Football Legend questioned the motive behind the decision, describing it as risky and unpopular.
“What could have driven such a decision that undermines the spirit of the game?” he asked.
Odegbami said although football regulations may not cover every situation, rare cases require wisdom.
“This AFCON case demands that rules and common sense must align,” he said.
He recalled that Senegal were crowned by CAF and FIFA officials before a global audience.
“Two months later, CAF delivered what I call a ‘poisoned verdict’ through its Appeals Committee,” he said.
Odegbami explained that Morocco’s protest, earlier dismissed, was later upheld on appeal.
“The decision to reverse a final match result is one of the most unpopular ever,” he said..
He said the rules on walkouts are clear but must be applied with context.
According to him, Senegal players walked off after a late penalty was awarded to Morocco, staying away for 17 minutes.
“Ordinarily, that attracts forfeiture, but the referee allowed play to resume, which changed everything,” he said.
Odegbami noted that petitions can alter results but argued that the AFCON final was different.
“If this were a qualifier, nobody would question the CAF’s decision. But this was the final,” he said.
He stressed that the trophy had been awarded and celebrations concluded before the reversal.
“There was no room for post-match litigation in a final of this magnitude,” he said.
Odegbami maintained that the referee’s decision to restart play nullified the forfeiture clause.
“The match resumed, Morocco missed the penalty, Senegal scored and won fairly,” he said.
He insisted that CAF had no justification to overturn the result after recognising a winner.
“Punish any infractions if necessary, but do not tamper with a concluded final,” he said.
Odegbami urged CAF to review its regulations and restore Senegal as champions.
“For now, CAF should retrace its steps and return the trophy to Senegal,” he advised.
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