Sports
NSF: Delta Para-Athletes Prepare To Sweep Medals
Para-athletes from Delta are ready for the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Edo to sweep medals.
The Coach of the para-athletes in Delta for the festival, Alli Abdulazeez, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, yesterday.
He spoke during their training session at the National Stadium, Surulere, where they were camped.
Abdulazeez said he was training the deaf athletes that would represent Delta at the Edo 2020, while other para-athletes were having their training in Asaba, Delta State.
He said the athletes had trained hard to win gold and other medals at the festival, saying that the state had provided the necessary logistics for the event preparation.
“I have 12 deaf athletes in Lagos for training. We arrived camp on Sunday.
“All the logistics needed for training were provided by Delta State Government. We are ready for gold and other medals.
“So far so good in camp. The athletes with me will participate in javelins, short-put and discus, sprint 100m, 200m for male and female,” he said.
The coach commended the state government for coming to the rescue of the para-athletes.
He said some of the athletes had participated in national sports festival before now, assuring the state of medals.
Abdulazeez in a recent interview with newsmen, complained that no state of the federation had indicated interests to sponsor any para-athlete to Edo 2020.
He noted that in the past before the festival, different states would have indicated the athletes that would represent them in the various sporting activities.
He said that it was during sports festival that para-athletes used to receive funds for training and other logistics to take care of themselves.
“There is no encouragement for those training the physically challenged athletes. There are no facilities for training.
“Government should provide permanent and moveable facilities. Currently, we are improvising facilities for training.
“Improvising is a big challenge. Due to employment problem, physically challenged athletes are not part of government’s plan.
“Some are interested in the sports but there is no encouragement from organisations and individuals.
“As a coach with passion to train the physically challenged athletes, I put in my money. I am only encouraged whenever they attend national sports festival and win medals.
“We are hoping that in future, they may be selected to represent Nigeria at international competitions,’’ Abdulazeez said.
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
‘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.”
Sports
‘Reasons Why Eagles Lost To Mali’
The friendly games against Ghana and Mali were to serve as an audition for George Finidi, who was in charge of the team on an interim basis, but the Eagles’ lacklustre display in those friendlies has called for his further evaluation.
Finidi kept faith with ex-coach Jose Peseiro’s defensive formation against Mali on the back of his first win (against Ghana) in charge of the team four days earlier.
But this time, his defence was punished following a combination of defensive errors and poor passes.
The Eagles struggled to play out of defence due to the high pressing of the Malians and it was no surprise that the first goal by Les Aigles was a direct result of their aggression.
Chidozie Awaziem, who started on the right of the back three alongside Kenneth Omeruo and Semi Ajayi, lacked composure and was pressured into making a pass across his box straight at Bilal Toure, who made no mistake in getting the ball past Stanley Nwabali. They missed the calming presence of injured William Troost-Ekong.
Vice captain, Kenneth Omeruo, was also culpable of misplaced passes and was beaten for pace when Kamory Doumbia ran past him to seal Mali’s first win in over four decades, firing his shot past a helpless Nwabali, who stood no chance.
Eagles wing backs, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamilu Collins also did not do enough to support the team in attack when they had the chance to.
Lack of creativity
Finidi paired Raphael Onyedika and Wilfred Ndidi in a double pivot in midfield. Both players are naturally anchor men and neither is a box-to-box midfielder.
They both do not possess the offensive capability to drive the team’s attack forward, which left the Eagles once again craving for a natural creative midfielder.
-
Education4 days ago
Old Students Plan N1bn Rehabilitation For Ekiti School
-
News4 days ago
Police Mourn Six Slain Officers, Declare Six Others Missing In Delta
-
Rivers3 days ago
HYPREP Completes Six Water Projects, Three Booster Stations In Ogoniland
-
News2 days ago
Fubara Dissolves Sanitation Task Force, Appoints Interim Head
-
Nation16 hours ago
Mbah Inaugurates ESUT Governing Council
-
News11 hours ago
Secondus, Sekibo, Others Declare Support For Tinubu, Fubara
-
Politics4 days ago
Osun PDP Alleges Plot To Arrest Govt, Party Officials
-
News4 days ago
Nigeria Scales Global Aviation Safety, Security Audit