Sports
Delta Ethnic Cup Goes Beyond fostering unity, Peace
In a statement made available to Tidesports in Port Harcourt, Mulade who is also the National Coordinator, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), called for more partnership to ensure sustainable peace in the area.
The finals of the tournament had seen Team Itsekiri (Ugbomarun FC) knock out Team Ndokwa (Ndokwa East United FC) 3 goals to 1, at Orerokpe town, with the former clinching the championship title with a grand prize of N2 million cash, a trophy, and gold medals for the players.
While the runners-up (Ndokwa East United FC) got N1.5m million cash prize, and silver medals for the players, the third and fourth-place winners (Team Urhobo, Udu United FC and Team Isoko (Winsome FC) received N1 million cash prize, and bronze medals for the players and N500,000 and consolation prizes, respectively. However, Team Isoko was disqualified and banned from participating in the next edition for breaching guidelines.
Emphasizing the essence of the competition, which he said was “fostering unity and celebrating sporting excellence among ethnic groups in Delta State,” Mulade revealed that “the success of the 2024 tournament has paved the way for the next (6th) edition”.
“Plans are underway to expand participation, introduce new categories, and ensure that the event remains the cornerstone of Delta State’s sports calendar,” he revealed.
Recalling the just concluded tournament, the environmentalist noted the significance of the special novelty match to flag-off the tournament at Ode-Itsekiri, with Itsekiri/Ijaw team on one side, against other ethnic groups, as part of efforts to drive home the objectives of the competition.
“It is imperative to state that since the ethnic conflict that engulfed Delta State over 20 years ago, particularly Warri and environs, this is the first time the Ijaws and Itsekiris are united by forming a unity team to play against other ethnic groups in the state,” he stated.
Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui claimed victory in the Great North Run women’s race as Britain’s Eilish McColgan finished third.
The Scot trailed Chepkirui and Vivian Cheruiyot in the final stages and, despite a late push, she failed to overhaul the Kenyan pair.
Chepkirui won in one hour nine minutes and 32 seconds, with her compatriot Cheruiyot five seconds behind and McColgan 10 seconds adrift of the winner.
“It was really nice but there was a lot of wind,” said Chepkirui, 34.
Taking part in her third Great North Run, McColgan was aiming to emulate her mother Liz by winning the race for the first time.
“It was tough conditions today,” said the 34-year-old. “We had a headwind pretty much the whole race until that final mile, so times were sort of out of the window early doors.
“We were a lot slower than we set off last year. There was no rain compared to last year and the crowds were out in force so it was a special day.”
In the men’s race, Kenya’s Alex Mutiso, 28, raced away in the latter stages to win in 1:00.52.
Belgium’s Bashir Abdi was six seconds behind in second place, with Kenya’s Abel Kipchumba – who won last year’s race – nine seconds off the winner in third.
Ben Connor was the highest-placed Briton in the men’s race as he came in fourth in 1:02.57.
Fellow Briton Sean Frame took control of the men’s wheelchair race early on and claimed victory in 49:24 as he added to his win in 2021.
Simon Lawson finished second in 52:38 and another Briton, Anton Shepherd, was third in 54:21.
“A bit of a headwind all the way but it was an amazing race,” said Frame.
“I was second last year, it didn’t bother me that much. I just focused on this year – putting on the best performance I could and just use my strengths – and it paid off.”
Great Britain’s Mel Nicholls won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:05.24, with Rita Curuccu, of Italy, second in 1:22.22.
“It was so much fun, I loved it,” said Nicholls. “The wind was crazy.
“A lot of it is uphill but it certainly felt it was all uphill.”
Ismail, 21, earned his reputation during a standout season with Remo Stars, where he provided a staggering 13 assists in 31 games, topping the NPFL’s goal-provider chart by a significant margin.
His precision crossing and penetrating runs captured national attention and fueled his maiden call-up to the Super Eagles in May 2024, making him one of the very few NPFL players invited to represent the senior national team under coach Finidi George.
Earlier reports had linked Ismail with a move to Albanian side FK Partizani, where he was close to completing a three-year deal as of January 2025.
The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has confirmed that the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) is on course to conduct its elections in January 2026, at the end of the current board’s four-year tenure.
In a correspondence addressed to the National Sports Commission (NSC) and signed by its Secretary General, Hon. Tunde Popoola, the NOC clarified that all constitutional issues previously associated with the basketball body had been resolved, paving the way for a smooth transition of leadership when the current term expires.
According to the NOC: “As far as the NOC is concerned, there is no pending petition or conflict regarding Nigeria Basketball Federation Constitution. All issues were resolved and the Federation should be free to conduct fresh elections in January 2026.
”Beyond basketball, the Olympic body also shed light on the status of other national sports federations ahead of their elections. It disclosed that 13 federations have met the requirement of securing approval for their constitutions from their respective congresses and international federations.
The NOC further explained that while the Nigeria Cricket Federation had also fulfilled the requirement, it was not included in the final list of approved federations, as the Committee has resolved to focus strictly on Olympic sports. However, it advised the NSC to allow cricket to conduct its elections based on its already approved constitution.
With these clarifications, attention now turns to the upcoming elections across the federations, particularly basketball, where stakeholders will be preparing for a leadership transition in early 2026.
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