Sports
Association Moves To Revive Baseball
The Nigeria Baseball
and Softball Association (NBSA) has announced the setting up of five sub-committees to facilitate the revival of the sport across the country.
The association’s Secretary-General, Kehinde Laniyan, told newsmen that the decision to inaugurate the committees was reached at a summit organised by the NBSA in January.
Laniyan said the association’s Acting President, Jani Ibrahim, believed that findings and recommendations from the committees would form part of the blueprint for NBSA to reposition the game.
“Our objective this year is to get baseball and softball back to the top where it belongs. And we have set-up committees to achieve our aim.
“The members of the various committees comprise people who have passion for the sport. Their contributions will give the sport the needed impetus to aim higher,’’ he said.
Laniyan also said that the committees would be expected to make strong recommendations on how the sport could be re-admitted into the Olympic Games’ programme.
Baseball last featured at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games hosted by China.
He applauded the members of the committees for taking up the task of moving the sport forward.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.
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