President of the Nigeria Curling Federation, Daniel Damola, confirmed Nigeria’s qualification for both the Mixed and Mixed Doubles events.

Team Nigeria has emerged as the first African team to qualify for the Curling event of the 2024 Youth Winter Olympics.

President of the Nigeria Curling Federation, Daniel Damola, confirmed Nigeria’s qualification for both the Mixed and Mixed Doubles events.

According to him, Nigeria’s qualification for the 2024 Youth Winter Olympics was secured after the country became the sole participating team from Africa at the World Junior B Curling championship held in Finland.

He said the qualification ticket and the official notification will be sent to the Nigeria Olympic Committee in March 2023.

“Well done, Team Nigeria youth curlers for making history again by becoming the first African Nation to qualify for the 2024 Youth Winter Olympics. We are proud of you all and the boys’ team as well. Still we rise,” the delighted boss declared as he shared the cheering news.

Fresh from the eye-opening outing in Lohja, Finland where they played on ice for the very first time, alongside the very best teams in the world, the newly groomed Nigerian Junior curlers have been tipped to ruffle feathers on ice in the years ahead.

“The beautiful thing about the whole success is that we actualised the dream using the locals, the home-based athletes and children from the grassroots. ” Mr Daniel said.

“This is a life-changing thing for all of them and basically for the country as well. For us to pull out this historic achievement using only home-based youth athletes, the first of its kind in the entire African region. I’m glad and happy. I’m happy with the staff and management, from the cleaner to the presidency. It is a team success and I thank God for everything,” he added.

The Nigeria Curling Federation president, while noting that the recent successes have been from personal sacrifices since there has been zero sponsorship from government quarters, stated that more can be achieved if the Federation gets the needed support.

“Not minding that there was no support from anybody; Government, NOC or sponsors, we achieved this. That means if we had sponsors, you can only imagine what we would have achieved. Like I always say, still we rise at the Nigerian curling”.

The 2024 Youth Winter Olympics is scheduled to take place in the Gangwon Province, South Korea from January 19 to February 1

FIFA on Thursday officially published its last ranking for the year as Brazil remain the highest-ranked team in the world.

According to FIFA’s monthly rankings, the Nigeria national football team, the Super Eagles, will finish 2022 as Africa’s fifth-best team and 35th in the world.

FIFA released its final ranking for the year on Thursday, with Brazil remaining the top-ranked team in the world despite failing to advance beyond the quarter-finals in Qatar 2022.

Argentina, who were crowned world champions for the third time last Sunday, rose only to second place, up from third place prior to Qatar 2022. France is third, while Belgium and England are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Poor Year

The year 2022 has largely been a letdown for the Super Eagles, who only made it to the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon before blowing their chance at a seventh World Cup  appearance against Ghana in March.

The Black Stars edged the Super Eagles to the Qatar 2022 ticket on the away goals rule.

Unfortunately, the Black Stars did not advance beyond the group stage despite recording a thrilling 3-2 win over South Korea and ruffling Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates, who eventually claimed a nervy 3-2 win.

Aside from the disappointment in official games, the Eagles did not fare any better in the handful of friendly games played in the year.

Just before the commencement of the World Cup, Portugal hammered the Eagles 4-0 in Lisbon. The Eagles’ greatest loss in almost three decades followed another 2-0 defeat at the hands of Costa Rica in San Jose.

The Super Eagles also lost in friendly games against Algeria, Mexico, and Ecuador

In the year’s first ranking released in February, FIFA ranked the Super Eagles 32nd in the world and third in Africa, just behind Senegal and Morocco

The country’s best ranking in 2022 was in March when the Eagles were ranked 30th.

Though 2022 was bad for the Eagles, they still finished one notch better than 2021 when they ended the year in 36th place.

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon and Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey who are both world champions in the 1500m and 10.00m were ranked second and third respectively behind Amusan

Nigeria’s Tobiloba Amusan has been named Africa’s Best Female Athlete for the Year 2022.

The latest honour was conferred on Amusan by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) on Tuesday.

Winner at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she set a record and also the World Championships in Oregon, where she set a new World Record of 12.12s in the Hurdles event, Amusan has been far above her contemporaries this year.

She also won the Diamond League trophy for the second successive season, highlighting her rating as one of the world’s best and Africa’s undisputed number one at the moment.

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon and Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey who are both world champions in the 1500m and 1000m were ranked second and third respectively behind Amusan who has enjoyed a phenomenal year.

Amusan will be proud of her unprecedented feats in the period under review despite failing to claim the global accolade of the World female Athlete of the year won by America’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Amusan started 2022 with a successful defence of her African Championships title in Mauritius in early June.

Thereafter she was off to Paris to improve on her 12.42 seconds African record as she ran 12.41 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Paris.

In Benin City, Edo State, at the All Nigerian Championships, Amusan effortlessly erased the 12.63 seconds record set in 1997 by Angela Atede as she won another national title for herself, having run an impressive 12.58 seconds.

The biggest moment for Amusan was in Eugene, Oregon where she produced one of the biggest surprises of the World Championships.

The Nigerian superstar sped to a world record 12.12 seconds in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles, following it with a wind-assisted 12.06 seconds in the final to win gold.

Best Male

While Amusan was voted Africa’s best female athlete, Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco emerged as the continent’s best male athlete

Confederation of African Football President (CAF) Dr Patrice Motsepe says Morocco’s run to the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar should be celebrated across the continent and viewed as a step closer to an African team lifting the trophy.

Dr Motsepe briefed journalists in Johannesburg on Wednesday and says Morocco’s success shows what can be achieved when governments and their football associations work hand-in-hand to develop the game in their countries.

“I will never accept that an African nation cannot compete at the highest level in the world,” Dr Motsepe said. “Morocco has opened the door and made us proud. I am confident that in the next World Cup (in 2026), an African nation will go further.

“Our aim is to go further and the main objective is an African nation to lift the trophy. We have to believe. We have all done things in our lives that at the times appeared very difficult. But we achieved.

“I believe there are 10 nations in Africa right now that can compete on the highest level and win. Maybe even 15. We have to encourage every single one of the 54 nations in Africa (to grow). The future of African football is extremely bright.”

Motsepe says that in order for the game to grow on the continent, there is a partnership needed between football and government in many nations, and that is an area he would like to see improved in the coming years.

“There are so many countries in Africa that do not invest (in their football). Some governments, the support is not what it should be,” he says.

“The success of Morocco is not by coincidence. Many African countries should learn from Morocco and be inspired by their investment. The young boys’ and girls’ facilities …

“I want to encourage heads of state to do the same. Football gives us dignity … we don’t have the technology many western countries have; they have invested over many years. But we will get there.

Motsepe says he hopes that football will continue to be a unifier across the continent.

“The beauty of the people of this continent is what we can do together when we unite. Football is at the heart of it and we use football to bring people together, people from different racial backgrounds and races.

“When every African nation plays on the global sphere, we are all Moroccans, Ghanaians, Tunisians and Egyptians.

“We must focus on the positive, things that bring us together and unite us, from Cape Town to Cairo. These are proud moments for football in Africa. The key issue for us now is we must follow through with focus and hard work.

“The success of CAF depends on the success of football in every nation. You cannot talk about a CAF that is doing well and the quality, growth and success of football in any one of the 54 countries is not as it should be.

“We are here to support everyone in the leadership in Africa. Every young boy and girl, we must encourage them to enjoy and love football. And tell them they have the capacity to play at the highest level in the world, and compete and win.”

Nigeria women’s 400m hurdles record holder, Ajoke Muizat Odumosu has been upgraded from 2012 Olympics 400m hurdles eighth place to seventh by World Athletics after Russia’s Natalya Antyukh failed to appeal her recent retroactive disqualification for doping.

According to the Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU, Antyukh’s victory in the event has now been officially disqualified.

The AIU says on its website it ‘notified the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of this action – taken by World Athletics’ Competition Department – following no
appeal by the Russian athlete of her ban, on 21 October this year, for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method; an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (Article 2.2 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules; ADR).’

‘The IOC may now proceed with the reallocation of medals and the update of the IOC database,’ noted the AIU’s correspondence.

The IOC press office has however responded, saying the reallocation of medals is not automatic.

‘The reallocation of medals is not automatic. As a general rule, each reallocation is submitted to the IOC [Executive Board] for approval once the athletes/teams sanctioned have exhausted all their remedies of appeal and when all procedures are closed.’

Antyukh ran 52.70 to win the gold in the event’s final but was later disqualified while Odumosu came in last.

Odumosu made history as the first and so far the only Nigerian woman to run in the final of the event at the Olympics. She achieved this by making history as the first Nigerian 400m barrier runner to run inside 55 seconds in the event.

This she achieved when she ran a new 54.40 Nigerian record to her semifinal heat.

Meanwhile, USA’s Lashinda Demus will be upgraded to gold while Zuzana Hejnová of the Czech Republic will be moved from third to second and Jamaican Kaliese Spencer from fourth to third.

• 
  Brazil stay on top of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking 
• Newly crowned world champions Argentina move to second
• Morocco the year’s highest climbers

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ has just crowned a new champion in Argentina (2nd, plus 1), but that has not stopped Brazil (1st, -) staying out front in the last FIFA/Cola-Cola World Ranking of the year. A Seleção hold a narrow lead over La Albiceleste, who would have jumped ahead of their neighbours and rivals had they beaten France (3rd, plus 1) in last Sunday’s World Cup final in normal or extra time.

Unlucky losers, Les Bleus may have lost their world crown but they are back in the top three. Dropping out of it are Belgium (4th, minus 2), after they failed to reach the knockout phase at Qatar 2022. England (5th, -) complete the top five.

On the back of their respective runs to the last four of the World Cup, Croatia (7th, plus 5) and Morocco (11th, plus 11) have both made spectacular jumps up the Ranking. The Atlas Lions are the year’s highest climbers in fact, having collected no fewer than 142 points over the last 12 months.

Similarly, Australia (27th, plus 11) and Cameroon (33rd, plus 10) have World Cup performances to thank for their climbs of 11 and 10 places respectively, while Saudi Arabia (49th, plus 2), who beat Argentina in the group phase in Qatar move into the top 50, as do Burkina Faso (50th, plus 4).

In total, seven teams have risen by more than ten places in the Ranking since December 2021: Gambia (126th, plus 24), Morocco (11th, plus 17), Costa Rica (32nd, plus 17), Cameroon (33rd, plus 17), Equatorial Guinea (98th, plus 16), Indonesia (151st, plus 13) and Cuba (168th, plus 11).

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 6 April 2023.

Leader Brazil (unchanged)
Moves into top 10 Croatia (7th, plus 5)
Moves out of top 10 Denmark (18th, minus 8)
Matches played in total 159
Most matches played Argentina, Croatia, Morocco, Qatar (8)
Biggest move by points Morocco (plus 108.85)
Biggest move by places Australia, Morocco (plus 11)
Biggest drop by points Denmark (minus 58.46)
Biggest drop by places Canada (minus 12)
Newly ranked teams None
Teams that are no longer ranked None
Inactive teams that are no longer ranked None

yson Fury (left) forecast a clash with Oleksandr Usyk sometime in February or March. 

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to fight each other next in a world heavyweight title unification bout, according to veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum.

Fury defeated his British rival Derek Chelsea for the third time in his career to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) title earlier in December.

He then called out Ukrainian hero Usyk, the IBF (International Boxing Federation), IBO (International Boxing Organisation), WBO (World Boxing Organisation) and WBA (World Boxing Association) belt-holder, who was ringside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Following that fight, the 34-year-old Fury forecast a clash with Usyk, either in Saudi Arabia or Britain, sometime in February or March.

“The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next,” the 91-year-old Arum told Sky Sports on Tuesday.

“With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of (rubbish) back and forth. Usyk is a good friend of mine, he’s very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect.”

The American, involved in some of Muhammad Ali’s celebrated contests of the 1970s, added: “So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there’ll be very little, if any, (messing) around.

“Now the question is what’s the date and what’s the site. But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.

“It shouldn’t be too long before a final decision is made. We’ll have it all sorted out, I hope maybe by the end of the year.” 

Usyk, 35, has twice defeated Anthony Joshua, firstly depriving the Briton of his world titles at Tottenham in September 2021 before defeating him again in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this July.

n September, he said of a possible contest with Fury: “I would really like to see this fight happen next year.

“We do not know what is on his mind. This is Tyson Fury, everyone knows that he is a very crazy kid.”

If the fight were to take place in the UK, Wembley is a very likely venue, while a fight in the Middle East could see a much larger purse available for both fighters.

“We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Middle East and also there’s the possibility of doing the fight in the UK at Wembley (stadium) with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance,” added Arum.

“Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important. So if the money which has been proposed to us is real that has to be taken into consideration.

“But to go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood.”