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Team Nigeria Wins Maiden African Canoe Race

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Team Nigeria has emerged overall winner of the maiden African Admiral Porbeni Canoe Race championships at the Jabi Boat Club in Abuja, Nigeria.
The championship began penultimate Thursday and ended last Sunday with no fewer than 100 athletes from five African countries including, Ghana, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo and the host, Nigeria, taking part in the four-day event.
Team Nigeria amassed a total of 21 medals, including 14 Gold, six silver and one bronze to emerge the overall winners of the event.
Sao Tome and Principe came second with 14 medals, including one gold, six silver and seven bronze. Senegal finished third with 12 medals, including one gold, three silver, and eight bronze.
Nigeria’s Ayomide Bello finished as the overall best female athlete, winning three gold medals in all the three events she competed for including the 1000m C1 women, 200m C1 women and 500m C1 women. Bello was ranked 13th in the 2019 World Championships in Hungary and also won 4 gold medals from four events as a rower at the Admiral Porbeni Boat Race in 2021.
Yinlayefa Godhelp, Nigeria’s youngest athlete also won gold in two events: the 1000m K1 women and the 500m K1 women.
Godhelp, who was found only a year ago, established herself as a young phenomenon by winning the 500-metre C1 race at the National Sports Festival.
She went on to represent Nigeria at the second Africa Beach Games in Tunisia in 2023, finishing fourth in her first international competition.
Team Nigeria went home with a 3,000 dollars prize money, while Sao Tome and Principe pocketed 2,000 dollars with Senegal taking 1,000 dollars.
Team Nigeria’s Captain, Moses Michael, expressed joy at the team’s victory, adding that it wasn’t an easy feat even though everyone had high expectations for the team.
In preparation for the team for the Olympics qualifiers in November and Paris 2024, Michael stressed on the need to open training camp early for the athletes, adding that the Olympics was already around the corner.
Micheal appealed to the Federal Government to assist the team because November is around the corner and Olympics training is expected to commence immediately. Some athletes in other countries have started preparations for the Olympics a year ahead of the event.

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LG Football Councils Appoint Chairman, Secretary

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Rivers State Local Government Football Councils(RSLGC), has appointed the Chairman of Gokana Football Council,  Martins Giadom as it’s Coordinator and Chinasa Elekwachi of the Onelga FC as  Secretary.
In a meeting held in Port Harcourt last week, the 23 Football Councils in Rivers State agreed that the election of  Martins Giadom and Chinasa  Elekwachi as Chairman  and Secretary, respectively will serve as a clearing house for a formidable grassroot sports development to support the good works of the State FA Board led by Barr. Christopher Green.
The LG FCs resolved to be proactive in their dealings with the Executive Chairmen of Council such that their impact will be felt as partners in progress
The LG Football Councils further agreed to regularly present major issues and challenges before the State FA Board for consideration.
It called for the resuscitation of the moribund Rivers State  Governor’s Cup, urging relevant authorities to take action on the matter in the interest of football development in Rivers State.
The body stressed the need for all LGA FCs to be encouraged to run Football related activities within their jurisdiction, report and  restrain non stakeholders from setting up political football committees who will further usurp the duties of LG Football Councils at the various Local Council Areas in the State.

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Navy To Sponsor Team In NPL

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The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command, Olusola Oluwagbire, has disclosed plans by the Navy to sponsor a football team in the Nigeria Football League.
Oluwagbire said this at the opening of the maiden edition of FOC Eastern Naval Command Intra-Command football competition in Calabar at the weekend.
Oluwagbire said the essence of the competition was to re-engineer the physical fitness and inspire a sense of comradeship in the personnel.
“This competition is to bring together officers, civilian staff and corps members with us together to re-engineer their physical fitness.
“It is also aimed at strengthening the relationship among the personnel and also to maintain their mental alertness.
“It has been long in coming and we are thankful that we finally got it off today,” he stated.
Oluwagbire who was elated with the turnout of teams for the competition, said it would be sustained.
In a remark, the Speaker of the Cross River House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, called for the sustainability of the competition, adding that the state governments have plans to revive sports.

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More Nigerian Wrestlers Will Qualify For  Olympics –Comptroller General

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The acting Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Adewale Adeniyi,  has expressed optimism that more Nigerian wrestlers will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He stated this on Saturday in Abuja after the inauguration of the ‘Work-Life Balance’ initiative which is a routine 5km brisk walk exercise meant to keep officers and men of the NCS physically and mentally fit.
Adeniyi who is also a board member of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) said this against the backdrop of only one Nigerian female wrestler securing Olympic qualification in the just concluded World Wrestling Championships in Serbia.
The tude source reports that only three-time Commonwealth Champion, Odunayo Adekuoroye, secured a bronze medal in the women’s 57kg category at the just concluded Championship, to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics Games.
Team Nigeria was represented by six female wrestlers at the championships.
The customs boss however maintains there is no cause for alarm, as there are still two more pre-Olympics qualifiers, where he hopes more Nigerian male and female wrestlers will qualify.
“I am not disappointed with the performance of the wrestling team in Serbia.
“The competition in Serbia is one of the various competitions lined-up to get slots at the Paris Olympics, there are still one or two championships.
“I am very sure there will be one (championships) in March in Egypt and those of our athletes who did not get the ticket, would have the opportunity to do so,” he said.
Adeniyi said with the quality of wrestlers in camp and the continued training and exposure being given to them, the sky is the limit.
“What we had in Serbia was just our women team, we also have our men in camp and they are in top condition.
“I believe our male and female teams stand a very chance with the level of preparation and exposure we are going to give them  ahead of the outing in March,” he said.
On the ‘Work-Life Balance’ initiative, the Customs CG expressed optimism that the initiative will lead to better wellbeing and productivity for officers and men of the NCS.
The theme for the  Saturday’s Walk/ exercise is: “balancing for better tomorrow “ and it had participants from other para-military agencies.

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