Super Falcons’ coach Randy Waldrum has hailed the performance of the players for the dramatic comeback against Portugal at the Summer Series Invitational Tournament in the United States.
Falcons trailed the Portuguese 2-0 and 3-1 at some stages in the game but their spirited efforts paid off after Rasheedat Ajibade scored in stoppage time to ensure both sides settled for a 3-3 draw in their second game of the tournament.
Speaking after the tie, Waldrum praised the resilience of Nigeria’s women’s national team but warned that the team must work on their defensive frailties to have a chance against the host United States on Thursday.
“I’m so proud of you girls with the fight we had and the way we came back,” Waldrum said. You were down by two goals two times in the game and you still mustered a comeback. It is a very difficult task to do but you stayed on and kept on pushing. You still have a lot to work on absolutely we will continue from here.
“This is something we are going to build on to make us better to show that we are a good team and that we can fight and come back. That we are always in the team until the end of the game.”
Nigeria’s women handball team will today take on hosts Cameroon in the battle for one of the slots in the World Championships as both teams clash in the quarter-final of the ongoing African Women’s Handball Championship.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a win against Cameroon will not only ensure Nigeria’s qualification for the championship’s semi-finals but the World Championships billed for Spain.
Nigeria last qualified for a spot in the top four at the 1992 edition of the championship, held in Morocco. To qualify for the quarter-finals, as one of the two best-losers, the Nigerian team defeated Kenya 26-21 in their last group match, after earlier losses to DR Congo and Cameroon. Nigeria’s qualification, however, was on the basis of the two games played and not the win over Kenya, as Guinea’s win over Madagascar on game day three did not count.
Guinea and Nigeria were ranked on the strength of the games they played against the top two qualifying teams in their groups
The Federal Government has inaugurated the Board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) after the successful conduct of the elections to fill executive position of the association saddled with the control of the nation’s exploit in the track and field events.
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare who inaugurated the newly elected Board members at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, on Tuesday, called on them to avoid the pitfalls of the past, by following the constitution and ensuring that stakeholders were carried along in order to ensure the federation records more podium appearances in sporting activities.
Dare, who stated that the election was a new dawn for track and field in Nigeria as exemplified by the way the election was conducted, strictly in accordance with the 2017 Constitution of the Federation as recommended by both World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics, shows that a new seed of hope has evolved for the good of sports development in the country.
He stated further that the AFN Board was the legitimately constituted and recognized body duly elected by the Congress of the AFN and recognized by the Federal Government of Nigeria and by extension the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
He therefore urged the Board to operate within the tenets of their Constitution as recognized by Government under which sports is being governed, stressing that, “no Federation is autonomous, as all the 38 Federations operate under the guidelines of Government.
The Minister, while assuring that Government continue to partner with both continental and intercontinental bodies, charged with the development of athletics in order to encourage and improve the young and talented youths of the country, called on the Board not to compromise the welfare of athletes.
He expressed delight that under his watch as Minister of Youth and Sports Development, “the Sports Federation has been fulfilling our expectations of them and the AFN in the last 18 Months has risen up to the challenges occasioned by the crisis that engulfed it since September 2017.”
He explained that Government recognized the and place of their Constitutions and their operationalization which must respect the laws of Nigeria.
“Our laws are clear and it is upon the laws of Nigeria that the Ministry governs the Sports Sector. Like I said earlier, this is a new dawn for athletics and we shall duly inform your parent body, World Athletics pursuant to articles 7.5 and 9.1. (e) of 2019 World Athletics Constitution that Chief Tonobok Okowa has been elected by the AFN Congress to lead as President is the recognized governing body for the Sport in Nigeria by the Nigerian Government.”
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr Nebolisa Anako assured the Board of the Ministry’s support to ensure the full development of sporting activities and youth empowerment in line with the policy thrust of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration.
He enjoined the AFN Board members to roll up their sleeves and put the country on the path of success.
The newly elected AFN President, Chief Tonobok Ojuru Okowa assured that the AFN Board will hit the ground running to ensure effective performance of Nigerian athletes, not just at the Olympic but also to make Nigeria take its rightful place in Africa and the world at large. ‘’We will achieve this by putting in place a good welfare package for the athletes that will enhance their performance and ensure Nigerian athletes come back with medals at Tokyo to do the nation proud’’, he said.
The newly inaugurated 12-board members of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria are expected to serve for the period of four years, effective from the day of inauguration. Their names are as follows:
1 Chief Tonobok Ojuru Okowa President 2 Gadzama Tafida Wadzani 1st Vice President 3 Mrs Rosa Collins Okah 2nd Vice President 4 Amb. Manta Haruna Mohammed Member 5 Hon.Yusuf Liman Dahiru Member 6 Mr. Victor Okorie Member 7 Mr. Solomon Alao Member 8 SC Onikeku Samuel Member 9 Technical/Coaches Rep Member 10 Prof. Emmanuel Ojeme Member 11 Mrs Maria Wophil Member 12 Mr. Henry Okorie
Vice-Chairman of Lagos State Athletics Association, Yusuf Alli, has declared that the 10km Festac Half Marathon would be used as a benchmark to select athletes for the Lagos City Marathon.
He made the remark over the weekend in Festac, after an inspection tour of the routes earmarked for the 10km half marathon.
The technical team inspected the route marked out for the event.
The Olympian said that a community-based event, such as the Festac half marathon would help to improve the fitness level and preparedness of the elite athletes in the Country.
Project Consultant, for the marathon, renowned Showbiz Guru, Edi Lawani, stated that the marathon is a celebration of fitness, while enjoining every individual, within Festac and its environs to be part of the one-day event.
The 10km Festac half marathon is an initiative of Lexicon Communications, is slated to hold on the 2nd of October in Festac and it’s open to all Nigerians.
The winner in the men’s and women’s event will share N2m cash prize.
Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first post-colonial president who ruled the country for 27 years, has been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness.
Incumbent President Edgar Lungu urged Zambians to pray so that “God can touch him with his healing hand”.
“His Excellency Dr Kaunda is requesting all Zambians and the international community to pray for him as the medical team is doing everything to ensure he recovers,” the statement said.
“He stood up for this great nation at its most critical moment, and so we can all stand up for him in his moment of weakness,” Lungu said on his Facebook page.
Kaunda ruled Zambia from 1964, when the southern African nation won its independence from Britain, until 1991. He is among the continent’s few surviving liberation heroes.
His administrative assistant Rodrick Ngolo said in a statement that Kaunda had been feeling unwell and had been admitted to the Maina Soko Medical Centre in Lusaka.
The Nigerian Air Force has banned “must-go missions” for all military operations until the indices that will minimise avoidable risks are met.
The new operational guideline seem part of new measures by NAF to guarantee safety of its air operations, following multiple plane crashes in the last five months.
Pilots and other personnel in the chain of air operations have also been lectured to consider if the urgency and value of the mission is worth the risk before embarking on future operations.
NAF also recently held a seminar to enhance the chances of conducting safe flights under adverse weather conditions.
Amnesty international has organized a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Brussels to call on U.S. President joe biden to close the prison at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
Biden arrived in Brussels on Sunday (June 13) for a series of meetings with NATO and EU leaders.
Holding portraits of guantanamo bay inmates, activists chanted “Go, joe, go. Close Guantanamo” under the scrutiny of belgian police. One of the activists wore an orange coverall mimicking the clothes worn by prisoners at the U.S. Detention Facility.
The Community Court Of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS has fixed June 22 for a hearing on a motion in a suit challenging the federal government’s suspension of microblogging platform, twitter, in nigeria.
The plaintiffs are the registered trustees of the socio-economic rights and accountability project, serap and 420 nigerians, including Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili.
They are suing over “the unlawful suspension of twitter in nigeria, criminalisation of nigerians and other people using twitter, and the escalating repression of the rights to freedom of expression.
Nairobi says the country will reopen its embassy in somalia “As soon as possible”, responding to a request for the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Somali minister of foreign affairs had written to his kenyan counterpart inviting him to reopen the kenyan diplomatic representation in mogadishu.
The kenyan government said it will proceed to reopen its embassy in mogadishu as soon as possible” and invites the ambassador of the federal republic of somalia to return to nairobi and resume his duties.
Fans in the Copenhagen fan zone have written get well messages to denmark’s midfielder Christian Eriksen who suffered a cardiac arrest when he collapsed during his side’s Euro opening match against Finland on Saturday.
Twenty-nine-year-old Eriksen who collapsed suddenly in the 42nd minute of the match while running near the left touchline after a denmark throw-in, has remained in hospital for further tests.
“We’re thinking of you” and “Dear christian, we send best wishes to you and your family. We look forward to seeing you on the pitch again,” read some of the messages on the wall that also featured a painting of Eriksen.
The group B game was halted and eventually restarted an hour and 45 minutes later. Finland went on to win 1-0.
Fortune seekers flock to the village of KwaHlathi, in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, in search of what they believe to be diamonds.
More than 1,000 fortune seekers on Monday flocked to the village of KwaHlathi in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province in search of what they believed to be diamonds after a discovery of unidentified stones in the area.
The people traveled from across South Africa to join villagers who have been digging since Saturday, after a herd man who dug up the first stone on an open field, which some believe to be quartz crystals, put out the word.
The discovery was a life changer, said one digger Mendo Sabelo as he held a handful of tiny stones.
“This means our lives will change because no one had a proper job, I do odd jobs. When I returned home with them, (the family was) really overjoyed,” said the 27-year-old father of two.
Unemployed Skhumbuzo Mbhele concurred, adding: “I hadn’t seen or touched a diamond in my life. It’s my first time touching it here.”
The Mines Department said it was sending a team comprising of geological and mining experts to the site to collect samples and conduct an analysis.
A formal technical report will be issued in due course, the department said.
The lack of an analysis of the stones has not deterred the fortune seekers as long lines of parked cars on both sides of the gravel road could be seen just a few metres from the open field, where the young, old, female and male dug through the soil with picks, shovels and forks to find riches.
Some people have started selling the stones, with the starting price ranging from 100 rand ($7.29) to 300 rand.
The provincial government has since requested all those involved to leave the site to allow authorities to conduct a proper inspection, amid fears the people digging at the site could potentially be spreading the coronavirus.
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