Sports
Argungu Polo Tourney: IGP Strikers Performance Impresses Captain
Vice-Captain of IGP Strikers, Haruna Shagari, on Tuesday said his team’s performance at the just-concluded Argungu Polo Tournament was expected as they were always the team to beat.
The Tidesports source reports that the four-day tournament which was organised by the Patron of NSK Farms, Nura Kangiwa, ended on Sunday.
Shagari, also the team’s Vice-President, told newsmen that in spite of finishing as runners-up in the Umaru Shinkafi Cup, the IGP Strikers were always a team to beat in any tournament.
“IGP Strikers is an old polo team which has been in existence even before I joined the Nigeria Police Force.
“It has been headed by some senior officers back in the 70s and 80s, like the late Umaru Shinkafi, Bello Abdullahi, a retired AIG, and Keifas Silas, to mention a few.
“These were great polo players back in the days. So, we were and up till now a team to beat because in all the tournaments of the Nigeria Polo Federation (NPF) we have participated in, we usually finish as winners or at the very least as runners up,” he said.
Shagari however noted that in spite of all the team’s achievements, the major challenge hampering their performance in recent times was the quality of their ponies.
“We have done very well under the leadership of Aliyu Abubakar who is the President and Captain of the IGP Strikers.
“But our major challenge now is with our ponies. They are very old and worn out as these were the same ponies we have been using back in the days for our tournaments.
“So, that is our challenge now. Nevertheless, we have very good and experienced players, some of whom are young and more skillful. Even the few old hands are still very active.
“Some of these old hands are Abubakar (+1), my self (+1), Usman Abdullahi (-1), Abubakar Awwal (-2), Abdulrahaman Mohammed (+2), Ibrahim Dantala (+2), Lado Aliyu (+2), Babawo Lawal (+1) and Nda Bala (-1),” he said.
Shagari however explained that the team’s handicap had gone up, which was a major constraint, since they lacked the quality of ponies to compete at that level.
“We are always placed at the high goal category in any tournament we enter for due to our team’s handicap.
“Unfortunately, our ponies are very weak and cannot compete at the level which we are currently.
“We often times have no choice but to settle for lesser Cups since we cannot meet up with the standard and quality of ponies required at the high goal.
“In the past, we played in the low goal, which was perfect for our ponies at that time. But how can we compete with Argentine ponies now?
“So, even though our handicaps have placed us in the high goal, our local bred ponies are no match for the Argentine ponies,” he said.
The Police Superintendent said the locally-bred ponies were small in size and slow compared to the Argentine ponies which were much bigger, faster and more expensive.
“An Argentine pony can go for as high as N2 million to N5 million and some of our competitors have between 15 and 30 of them in their arsenal.
“So, how can you compete? You are not even allowed to play a local pony with an Argentine pony.
“It is said, and polo players admit, that the pony can account for as much as 85 per cent of their overall performance.
“So, this is a big challenge for us. We love to play polo and every other team in our category know we are a team to beat. But we don’t have the ponies to play,” he said.
Shagari therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police, Commissioners of Police of the various State Commands, philanthropists as well as corporate organisations to assist the team in purchasing better ponies.
He said this would enable them compete favourably with their peers.(NAN)
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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