DR Congo top club TP Mazembe have signed Nigerian goalkeeper Suleman Shaibu.

Mazembe announced Shaibu’s signing on Thursday in a statement released on their official website.

The 19-year-old joined the former CAF Champions League winners from Nigerian club Prince Kazeem Eletu FC on a five-year deal.

He was signed alongside Congolese goalkeeper Baggio Siadi Ngusa on the same contract duration.

The unveiling of the two goalkeepers was done by the club’s General Manager, Frédéric Kitengie.

The club expressed confidence that the signing of Siadi and Shaibu will bring competition to the goalkeeping position.

Despite the disqualification of some Nigerian athletes at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, due to their failure to meet up with the mandatory three out-of-competition tests, two of the country’s medal hopefuls, Blessing Okagbare and Grace Nwokocha, will be taking to the tracks on Friday in the women’s 100 metres.

Okagbare and Nwokocha are heading straight to the heats and will not be going through the rigours of competing in the preliminary rounds of the 100m.

Okagbare made her debut at the Olympics in 2008 at the Beijing Games where she won a silver medal in the women’s long jump.

The 32-year-old has since been a permanent fixture at subsequent Olympic Games, getting to the 100m final at the London Games in 2012 but placing 8th.

Okagbare has been on fire since the start of the year and shortly after winning her eighth national title at the Yabatech Sports Complex, Lagos, said she is looking forward to a glorious outing in Tokyo.

With a Personal Best of 10.79seconds, although she ran a wind-aided 10.63s in Lagos, Okagbare is confident of at least getting to the final of the 100m, where anything can happen.

“Since the start of this season, I see myself as very ready,” Okagbare said at the national trials in Lagos. 

“I feel healthy, stronger and like the real Blessing Okagbare again. I am really happy that this time came down,” the national record holder said at the time, referring to her wind-aided time at the trials.

 “It will boost my confidence, my faith and my trust in God. I just hope this same thing happens at the Olympics.”

For Nwokocha, the rave of the moment, Tokyo 2020 will be her first Olympics and she will be hopeful of making it a memorable one.

The 20-year-old came to limelight at the start of the year, running two new personal bests while also winning the 100m title at the National Sports Festival in Benin City, Edo State.

Her current PB and seasons best of 11.09s places her 81st in the world at the moment.

“My target for the Tokyo Olympic Games, is to do better than what I have been doing by improving my time in the 100m and 200m,” said Nwokocha, who has a PB and seasons best of 22.79s in the 200m.

Nwokocha will also take part in the 200m and 4x100m relays and hopes to make it a memorable maiden Olympics by appearing in the finals of all the events she will competing in. 

“I hope to be at the final of each event and by God’s grace I want to return home with a medal, especially in the 4x100m. That is my wish in Tokyo.”

She added: “I want to put in my best in Tokyo by making my country proud. I believe that when I make it to the final, it will please God that I will win a medal for Nigeria.”

A campaign group in Iran has called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend the Olympic shooting gold medal awarded to Javad Foroughi after claiming he is part of a “terrorist organisation”.

United for Navid, set up after the execution of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari and which has frequently called for action to be taken against Iran for alleged breaches of the Olympic Charter, has urged for the IOC Ethics Commission to launch an immediate investigation.

The group said Foroughi is “a current and long-term member” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organisation.

It warned the IOC was “complicit in promoting terrorism and crimes against humanity” if they fail to act.

“Awarding an Olympic gold medal to a member of a terrorist organisation is an appalling affront to athletes and Olympic ideals and leaves a grievous black mark on the IOC,” the group said in a statement.

“United For Navid calls for an immediate investigation by the IOC, and until an investigation is completed the suspension of any medal award.”

Foroughi won the 10 metres air pistol gold medal at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics here on Sunday (July 24).

The IOC has been urged to take action against Iran as the country continues to refuse to allow its athletes to face Israelis.

Despite the number of such cases, the IOC has never suspended Iran.

There have already been examples of countries refusing to share the field of play with Israelis at these Games.

Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine and his coach Amar Benikhlef were sent home from Tokyo 2020 after the athlete withdrew to avoid the possibility of meeting Israeli Tohar Butbul.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) said that it would investigate and that both Nourine and Benikhlef had been suspended.

In April, the IJF banned Iran for a period of four years after the country instructed Saeid Mollaei to avoid facing an opponent from Israel at the 2019 World Championships.

The IJF is the only country to sanction Iran for a policy it has carried out at sporting events for decades.

“The IOC is always concerned in these cases and is monitoring it very closely,” said IOC director of NOC relations and Olympic Solidarity James Macleod.

“If there are flagrant abuses of the Olympic Charter, the IOC will take all necessary measures in that respect.

“We will investigate anything that is raised to us, and work with the NOC/IFs on a case-by-case basis. 

“The IOC has been very clear that non-discrimination and autonomy are things we will not flinch from.”