Sports

AFN President Faults Siting Of Abuja Performance Centre

Published

12 years ago

February 4, 2015

President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Solomon Ogba, has faulted the siting of a High Performance Centre inside the National Stadium in Abuja.
Ogba told newsmen in Abuja that the federation would use the high performance centre at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers to prepare athletes for international competitions.
“The High Performance Centre we have for athletics is in the University of Port Harcourt; we just completed our track and the hostels, which is about 75 per cent complete.
“The university has already provided the professionals that will run the centre – food nutritionist, exercise physiologist and all the science-based professionals.
“That is one centre that we believe will do the magic; what the University of Port Harcourt is providing will be what we just need to bridge the gap and correct all the wrongs.“
He said that the centre, when completed would be utilised by other English speaking countries in West Africa, noting that the centre has about 120 beds with air-conditioned hostel rooms of international standard.
According to Ogba, the centre has a cafeteria and other amenities that befit a high performance centre.
The AFN president said that the perceived High Performance Centre built inside the National Stadium Abuja by the National Sports Commission (NSC) would be counterproductive to athletes’ development.
“High performance centres are usually set up in universities; the one in Jamaica is in the University of Technology in Kingston; the one in South Africa is in the University of Pretoria.
“In Germany, everything is in the university; so we think that Nigeria should follow best practice and the right thing should be done.
“But we are going ahead as a federation and our centre is set up by the International Association Athletics Federations (IAAF).
“Can you employ a pharmacologist, food nutritionist, professor of physiology? Those are the issues; can the National Sports Commission employ them? They cannot because athletics is not just one person.
“It’s a conglomeration of people coming together bringing various expertise into one thing.“
According to Ogba, the federation also advised against the construction of a doping laboratory inside the stadium.
“When they were trying to set up the anti-doping lab in the stadium we advised them not to do it.
“We told them that all over the world these things are usually sited in the universities or in privately run research laboratories, but they didn’t listen.
“Now the facilities are obsolete, we can’t use them anymore,“ he said.

Sports

Rivers-born Chess Player Clinches Third Position At World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship

Published

14 hours ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

A veteran Rivers State chess player, Apollos Akomaka, has finished in joint 3rd place at the just-concluded World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship held in Abuja.

Akomaka, who is the director of physiotherapy at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, overcame a shaky start to secure a podium finish in the 11-round rapid event that began on August 2.

The tournament featured top chess players from several countries.

After losing his opening game, the defining moment for Akomaka came between Rounds 7 and 11.

He raised his game and began defeating some of the top-ranked players in the event.

The Rivers-born player ended the championship tied for 3rd place in the U2000 category with 6.5 points out of 11, alongside Cameroon’s national champion, Noumbo Vidal.

His final game was against Vidal, with the Nigerian playing the black pieces.

Vidal opened with a queen’s gambit but quickly transposed into an English opening with a double fianchetto attack.

Akomaka responded sharply with a king’s Indian defense and soon launched a kingside attack from a defensive position.

The pressure paid off, resulting in an immediate material gain, a knight for a rook, and leaving Akomaka with a strong attacking advantage.

Vidal fought hard to avoid mate and managed to steer the game into an endgame, where he found some respect. At that point, the Cameroon champion offered a draw, which Akomaka accepted.

Speaking after the event, Akomaka said that he is resilient and determined after the poor start but happy that he finished on the podium.

He expressed optimism that in subsequent competitions he will make Rivers State proud and Nigeria at large.

Akomaka has won both local and national chess championships in recent times.

He is passionate about chess; besides, he has equally sponsored several national chess tournaments in Nigeria.

The World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship concluded with Akomaka of Rivers State,

Nigeria, battling back from an early loss to end among the top three in his category

Tonye Orabere/Kiadum Edookor

Sports

Team Nigeria Secures Women’s 4x100m, 4x400m Finals at World U20 Championships

Published

16 hours ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

Team Nigeria continued its impressive showing at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, securing places in both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay finals after strong performances in the heats.

The Nigerian quartet of Becky Ebiyadi, Jecinta Lawrence, Tejiri Praise Ugoh and Faith Ezechukwu booked their place in the women’s 4x400m final after clocking a season’s best of 3:35.28.

Nigeria finished third in the heat behind Italy and Great Britain, doing enough to advance to the final and remain firmly in contention for a medal.

In the women’s 4x100m, Ugoh joined Lucy Nwankwo, Chigozie Nwankwo and Oluebube Ezechukwu as Nigeria produced another season’s best, clocking 43.65 seconds to secure an automatic ticket to the women’s 4x100m final.

The qualification was sealed by a sensational anchor leg from Ezechukwu. Receiving the baton nearly 20 metres behind the United States, the Nigerian launched a determined charge down the home straight, rapidly closing the gap before edging the Americans at the line to claim the third automatic qualifying position.

Nigeria stopped the clock at 43.65 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of the United States, who finished in 43.67 seconds.

The performances mean Nigeria will now contest both women’s relay finals, further strengthening the country’s medal prospects at the championships.

In Saturday’s evening phase of the event, Success Uyibo will compete in the 200m women’s final while the 4x100m compete in the women’s final.

Sports

Poor welfare forced me to dump Delta for Enugu, says world – Nwachukwu

Published

16 hours ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

World Record holder and Commonwealth Games champion, Goodness Nwachukwu, has revealed why she dumped Delta State for Enugu State.

The sudden departure of Nwachukwu, a multiple gold medallist, from Team Delta to the Coal City, Enugu , sparked controversy within the sports family, with officials of Delta State Sports Commission accusing the president of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria, Sunday Odebode, of manipulating the system for the athlete to dump the state.

But Nwachukwu, who broke the World Record to win a gold medal for Team Nigeria in the Women’s Discus F42 event at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has cleared the air on the circumstances that led to her movement to Enugu State.

Speaking with The Tidesports source report, shortly after winning the gold medal, Nwachukwu said: “It is not true that anybody aided my movement from Delta State to Enugu. Rather, it was Delta State that forced me to leave because of poor remuneration.