Sports
‘Lack Of Tournaments, Good Administrators, Affecting Boxing’
Boxing used to be the most popular sport in Nigeria in the 1980s but completely disappeared from view until the beginning of the 2000s.
At the Africa Youth Games (AYG) in Algeria during the year under review, the boxers won six medals for the country.
However, at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, a team made up of five male and four female boxers only managed to win two bronze medals – Yetunde Odunuga in the 60kg category and Millicent Agboegbulem in the 75kg category.
Sports loving Nigerians, especially boxing followers had predicted two gold medals but we got two bronze medals.
What this shows is that things can be done better to prepare our athletes for these games.
These results also highlight that Nigeria is gradually losing its prominence in short sprints.
Meanwhile at the local level, the monthly GOtv Boxing Night continues to bring joy and happiness to the lovers of the game with regular boxing bouts, which has helped, in discovering some hidden talents.
Former Africa champion, and ex-Olympian, Jeremiah Okorodudu heaped the blame of the ‘not-too-impressive’ outing of the sport to the attitude of our administrators at the Sports Ministry and called for better organization in terms of appointment of the right administrators in running the affairs of the sport in the country.
“The problem facing our boxers will continue until we do the right thing which is putting the right pegs in the right holes.
“The boxers are there for us to develop but if the people at the helms of affairs are not interested in the sport, there is little or nothing we can do for its development,” Okorodudu said.
Okorodudu, however, praised the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) under the leadership of Dr. Raifu Ladipo and secretary, Remi Aboderin for their efforts in developing the sport.
“They should not rest on their oars, though, they have done so well but they should keep up the good work and take the sport to greater heights.
“Boxing should be returned to the good old days where our boxers rule the continent and a force to reckon with in the world.
“I have said it severally that with good administrators, our boxers would be world beaters”, added Okorodudu.
In an effort to make progress in the sport, the Nigerian Boxing Federation (NBF) have begun plans to introduce a National Boxing League (NBL) with priority given to female boxers
The pledge was made during the full council of the NBF in the year under review with stakeholders in attendance who reviewed the previous year, the challenges, plans and aspirations of the federation.
The meeting, which was presided by the President, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, praised the special contribution of female boxers.
These earned a special commendation and plan to consolidate the feats in international championships. The commendation also reached the coaches and athletes who represented Nigeria at the AYG in Algeria.
The structure of the NBL shows that the male league would be the test case whereby the female sector of the league would be introduced later.
The full council thereby appealed to corporate Nigeria and the Federal Government to re-intensify their funding to the sport stating that the NBF is in a better shape to bring bigger and better honours to the nation in international sport considering the quality of young talents spotted during the National Sports Festival (NSF) held in Abuja.
Isaako All Stars FC of Opuoko and Khana Khana AllStars Football all in Local Government Area of Rivers State will tomorrow engage in a friendly football match at Opuoko Mini Stadium.
Chatting with Tidesports in a telephone interview yesterday the Chairman of Khana All Stars Saro Tap-le said that the encounter is not going to be an easy game in spite it is an AllStars game.
He express his side readiness for the encounter stating that the opportunity as come for them to showcase their talents.
However, the chairman explained that AllStars game is not about winning but the excitement, love, unity and friendship it creates is more important.
” Tomorrow game is not going to be an easy one despite is a AllStars game. We are going there in a full force to do what we know how to do best and to showcase our talents.
“As Chairman of Khana All Stars I believes we have an edge over the Isaako All Stars be we are training so hard for the encounter” Tap-le said.
Also speaking the Chairman of Isaako All Stars Mina Zaasi Iloori sees the match as an opportunity to build relationships.
” My brother it is an AllStars friendly game I think winning is not important but the paramount thing is the relationship we are going to create among both teams and my community at large
” We are training hard because of the encounter because I will not be in my house and somebody will rob soap in my eyes.
” As I speak with you we are just coming from back training ground to ensure all my players are fit for the match.
” I am using this medium to call on football fans to come en mass to Opuoko Mini Stadium tomorrow and enjoy the best of round leather game.
I promise the game will be an exciting display of football talents and sportsmanship”, Iloori said.
Kiadum Edookor
Thierry Henry has called for the return of the away goals rule in the aftermath of the bombastic Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The visitors at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys came within milimeters of clinching the first leg of the final-four clash after former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted late in the second-half.
But the linesman was quick to raise his flag, and semi-automated offside ruled out what would have been a thrilling conclusion to the high-octane 3-3 draw.
The hosts came from behind twice to share the spoils, chasing Inter Milan from the first minute of the game after Marcus Thuram stunned the Barcelona faithful into silence with his neatly flicked goal.
Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later, but it took just three more for the Blaugrana to finally get on the scoresheet courtesy of a moment of magic from teenage starlet Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres drew Barcelona level ahead of the break, but Lamal was forced to play catch-up again in the second-half after Dumfries scored his second.
In light of the impressive effort from Inter, Henry wondered if the team should have got more from the fixture ahead of the second-leg at the San Siro.
‘I know it’s been like that for a very time, and we have to accept it,’ Henry said of the removal of the away goals rule, ‘But off air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher), and I was like, “how can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?”
‘Away goals for me were massive, you score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage 0-0 at home,’ Henry shrugged.
UEFA took the decision to scrap the rule which gave goals scored away from home the ability to act as a tiebreaker in the case of level scorelines ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger claimed during his time as Arsenal manager in 2015 that the away goals rule ‘encouraged the team at home not to attack’ and that ‘the weight of the away goal (was) too big today’.
Without the rules, the tie at San Siro will go to extra time and penalties to decide which teams books their spot in the Champions League final.
But based on Wednesday evening’s performance, Henry seemed to give Inter a fighting chance against the newly minted Copa del Rey champions.
The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for the number of finishers despite hot conditions on Sunday for its 45th edition.
A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line at the end of the 26.2-mile route, Guinness World Records has confirmed.
The number surpassed the previous record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon in November.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said he hoped the high number of finishers inspired people to apply for the 2026 race ballot.
“The London Marathon was already the most popular in terms of ballot entries, with 840,318 people applying for the 2025 race,” he said.
“It is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3bn raised for charity since 1981.”
The number of people applying for the ballot to enter this year’s race broke the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.
Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa surged to victory in the elite women’s race in a world record for a women’s only field, while Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe triumphed in the men’s event.