Sports
Rivers To Host African Wrestling Championships
Rivers State, Governor, Nyesom Wike last Wednesday promised that the state would host the 2018 African Senior Wrestling Championships.
Wike made the promise to the United World Wrestling (Africa) while receiving President of UWW Africa, Fouad Meskoit, in Port Harcourt.
Tidesports source gathered reports that Meskoit was in the Rivers capital to inspect facilities with regards to the bid to host the 2018 championships.
“As a state, we will put everything in place for the hosting of the wrestling competition in Port Harcourt because Niger Delta, particularly Rivers is the centre of wrestling.
“Let us know whatever you think that is not in place at the venue, we will fix it immediately.
“Be assured that Rivers people will be well mobilised to participate in the competition,’’ he said.
Wike assured them of the state government’s commitment to ensure the success of the championships.
“Port Harcourt is safe for any international competition, we shall provide the hotels you need for your comfort and make the competition a success,’’ he said.
The Rivers governor also promised to visit Morocco on the invitation of the UWW Africa President to see a Wrestling Centre there.
“I hope to honour your invitation to Morocco to see what you have as a wrestling centre and replicate it here within the time frame you built yours,’’ he said.
Earlier, Meskoit said that it was wrestling that started the Olympic Games.
He said that Nigeria almost lost wrestling chance in the 2012 Olympics but for Daniel Igali, the only one that stood and defended the game.
Meskoit said that as an inspector, he ought to be neutral but logic was in favour of Nigeria to host the competition.
He urged Wike to mobilise Rivers people massively to participate in the championships.
He commended the governor for the good works he was doing in the state and said that Rivers people would be proud of him.
Meskoit was accompanied on the visit by President, Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Dan Igali, SWAN President Honour Sirawoo, and Chairman of SWAN in Rivers Sopriala Bobmanuel,.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
-
News4 hours agoFG Begins Trial Of Over 600 Terrorism Suspects
-
News4 hours agoNigeria Won’t Surrender Any Territory To Criminals -Tinubu
-
News5 days agoNigeria Exceeds OPEC Quota As Production Hits 11-month High
-
Featured5 days agoJUNE 12: Democracy Remains Nigeria’s Strongest Path To Unity, Progress, Says Fubara ….Extols Abiola, Wife
-
Politics5 days agoSenate Extends 2025 Budget Implementation To Sept. 30
-
News5 days agoReps Pass State Police Bill
-
News4 hours agoRivers Judges Commence Annual Vacation, July 20
-
News4 hours agoNDLEA Nets N6.15bn From Hotel, Seized Assets Auction