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NDG: RIVERS ATHLETES EXCITED AT GAMES’ PROSPECTS, Commends NDDC

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Rivers State  athletes, especially , the basketball players training for the forthcoming second edition of Niger Delta Games ( NDG) billed to hold in Edo State next month are excited over the opportunity of being at the Games once again and the prospect of defending the gold medal won in the event at the maiden edition of the NDG in Uyo Akwa Ibom State last year. In fact, the basketballers have vowed to leave no stone unturned in a bid to retain the medal in Benin City, Edo State.
Some of the players who spoke during  one of their  training sessions  on Monday, at the Basketball Court, Niger/ Bende Streets in Port Harcourt township, said they have been training hard to ensure that they defend  their title.
One of the players , Dalhati Wealth, expressed confidence that his team will emerge victorious as they are learning new techniques and tactics to ensure victory.
“As you can see every player is putting in good effort to be mentally and physically fit, including learning new tactics to be ready and maintain the level that saw the team of last year go all the way at the Games.
” We started our preparation early because we want to achieve success at the end of the day,  you know that if you don’t train and do not prepare early,  you can’t perform when the chips are down “, Wealth said.
He used the opportunity to commend the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) for initiating the sports programme with the vision to develop, empower and provide  and enduring platform for youths in the region.
” This competition will no doubt discover talents in the region, and it will equally expose us to both local and foreign scouts because you can never tell.
“You know we only have one Youth Games every year but this has added to the calendar towards sports development and the engagement of young people, especially, at the grassroots level” he stated.
Also speaking, another athlete, Hector Tobogu
also commended NDDC for the initiative, saying that the tournament has discovered hidden talents in the area.
“This competition has helped many youths develop interest in different  sporting activities and is another way to showcase talents. As an athlete if you don’t compete in  tournaments or competitions,  you will not know your strength and improvement would be very difficult”, Tobogu said.
The basketball player also expressed optimism that they would  make Rivers State proud at the Games in Edo.
By: Tonye Orabere

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Shooting stars edge CS Sfaxien 1-0 in CAF confederation cup

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Shooting Stars of Ibadan secured a 1-0 victory over Tunisian side CS Sfaxien in their CAF Confederation Cup encounter at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Abeokuta, on Saturday.

Lucky Emmanuel scored the decisive goal in the 25th minute to give the Nigerian side a deserved lead before the break.

CS Sfaxien came out strongly in the second half, piling pressure on Shooting Stars in search of an equaliser, but the goal keeper was too good to let in any goal.

 

The Shooting Stars defence remained resolute, frustrating the Tunisian side and preventing them from finding a way through.

Shooting Stars had opportunities to extend their lead towards the end of the match but failed to convert the chances.

The victory gave Shooting Stars an important advantage ahead of the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup campaign this weekend.

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African V’Ball: Amaka Paul Emerges 4th Best Scorer

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Nigeria volleyball player Christiana Amaka Paul has finished as the fourth-best scorer at the just concluded 2026 African Senior Women’s Volleyball Nations Championship in Kenya on Friday.

 

Amaka scored 94 points, including 76 successful attacks, to rank fourth among the tournament’s top scorers as Nigeria finished in ninth place at the tournament.

 

The Nigerian Opposite Hitter expressed her appreciation to the coaching crew led by Head coach Elishama Elam and her teammates for their support throughout the competition.

 

She said the encouragement and guidance from the coaching staff and her teammates played an important role in her performance at the championship.

 

Amaka said: “I want to sincerely thank our coach, Elishama Elam, and the entire coaching crew for their support, guidance and belief in us throughout the tournament.

 

“I also appreciate my teammates and everyone who supported us. Their encouragement gave me the confidence to keep fighting and giving my best for Nigeria. I will not forget to appreciate the Kenyans for their love and support too.

 

“This statistics will encourage me to give my best and improve in my performance when we return to Nigeria for the second phase of the 2026 CGC Volleyball Premier League.”

 

Nigeria captain Ijeoma Ukpabi also finished among the tournament’s top scorers, ranking eighth with 86 points and 75 successful attacks.

 

Meanwhile, Maryam Ibrahim completed Nigeria’s representation in the top 10, finishing as the 10th-best scorer with 74 points, including 68 successful attacks.

 

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Edo Queens Emerge WAFU B Champions, Qualify For CAF WCL

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Edo Queens Football Club of Nigeria  at the weekend defeated Ghana’s Women League champions, Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC 4-1 in a penalty shootout to win the WAFU-B tournament for the second time.

It was a breathtaking scene in Ouagadougou on Saturday night when the Nigerian champions produced a spirited comeback twice to frustrate the Ghana champions who were yet to suffer any defeat at the tournament before the thrilling shootouts ensued.

The fiercely contested final match had ended 2-2 at regulation period of 90 minutes as goals from Doosuur Anastasia Atume (4mns); Oluebube Umejiaku (90+4mns) canceled out Beline Nyarkoh 2nd and 74th minute brace.

Edo Queens lifted the WAFU-B cup for the first time in 2024 and progressed to a 4th place finish at the CAF Champions League proper in Morocco.

The Nigeria’s representatives redeemed their image with the 4-1 victory over their Ghanaian counterparts Ampem Darkoa Ladies who handed them the only defeat they suffered in the WAFU-B tournament.

The group B last game ended 2-1 in favour of Ampem , topping the group ahead of Edo Queens.

On the road to the finals, Edo Queens at the semi-finals stage, recorded an overwhelming 5-1 victory over the host country’s USFA just as Ampem Darkoa Ladies spanked Benin Republic’s FC Dynamique 4-1 to advance to the final in the championship.

The Benin girls trashed AS Garde Nationale of Niger 7-0 in their first group match and later triumphed over ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast 3-1 before their 2-1 loss to Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the third match.

D’Tigress  Out Of 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Reckoning (4)

Nigeria’s D’Tigresses have been eliminated from the ongoing 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, after South Korea’s 95-69 defeat to France on Saturday, ended the African champions’ hopes of advancing to the knockout phase.

France’s emphatic victory gave the European powerhouse a second win in two group games, having earlier defeated Hungary, while South Korea had already secured a crucial victory over Nigeria.

The result leaves Nigeria unable to finish above South Korea or Hungary, regardless of what happens in their final group match against France.

Even a remarkable 100-point victory over France would not be enough to propel D’Tigresses into the next phase because of the head-to-head rule used to separate teams tied on points.

The development is particularly painful for Nigeria because of the structure of the 2026 competition.

Under the World Cup format, the four group winners advance directly to the quarter-finals, while teams finishing second and third in each group enter a single-elimination qualification round for the last eight.

The crossover qualification games are played between teams from Groups A and B, and Groups C and D. The winners of those do-or-die encounters then advance to the quarter-finals to face the four group winners.

Teams finishing fourth in their respective groups, however, are eliminated at the conclusion of the group stage.

Nigeria’s elimination means D’Tigress cannot reach even the qualification to-the quarter finals stage and will have to settle for their final group fixture against France.

The setback also marks a significant regression from Nigeria’s historic performance at the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Tenerife, Spain, where D’Tigress reached the quarter-finals.

That 2018 campaign remains Nigeria’s best-ever performance at the Women’s World Cup, and the team had hoped to match or surpass that achievement in Germany.

Instead, the African champions have been knocked out at the group stage, ending their hopes of another deep run on the global stage.

D’Tigresses hoped to face France in their final game, with pride and a positive finish to the tournament the remaining objectives for Rena Wakama’s side.

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