By Chimezie Anaso

Rangers International FC of Enugu on Sunday beat their visitors, Doma United FC of Gombe by 1-0 to earn all  three points  at the Awka Township Stadium.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Group B Match Day 7 fixture in the abridged 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

The Flying Antelopes went ahead in the 39th minute when Chidera Eze converted a spot kick following a careless tackle on goal bound Austin Onyemaechi.

The victory brings the points haul of the Enugu based side to 8 from 7 games with two wins, two draws and three losses.

Speaking to newsmen after the match, Head Coach of Rangers, Abdul Maikaba, said the team had recovered from the initial lacklustre form and returned to winning ways.

Maikaba said the club would work on its away records to ensure that they not only gather points at home but also from away games.

He commended his players for giving a good account of themselves while admitting that Doma FC were equally a good team.

On his part, Coach Akinade Onigbinde of Doma FC, said his team anticipated a tough game against Rangers and played according to plan.

Onigbinde, who regretted the loss, blamed it on the careless tackle that resulted in the penalty.

Doma FC are currently fifth on the Group B table with 9 points from two wins, three draws and two losses.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

(Edited by Joseph Edeh)

By Victor Okoye

A cross-section of golf enthusiasts in Abuja on Thursday sought for more participation in the golf, as well as future editions of the IBB Ladies Open Championship.

The golf enthusiasts told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Ladies Section of the IBB International Golf and Country Club that the sport was the best form of exercise.

They spoke ahead of the 24th edition of the Ladies Open Championship, which had a ceremonial tee-off on Thursday ahead of its Friday commencement.

The enthusiasts called for more women participation in golf, saying it was the best form of exercise which enables one keep fit and stay healthy at all times.

Pauline Tallen, the Minister of Women Affairs, while commending the competition’s organisers, said the sport has far-reaching gains and women need to be part of it.

“I really want to commend members of the Ladies Section of the IBB Club for making me proud and I urge more women to join the golf club because golfing is just beautiful.

“It is one of the best forms of exercise that will keep one fit and healthy. It is also a good way to relax the mind and body as well as feel and enjoy the beauty of nature.

“The game of golf indeed keeps you in touch with nature and gives you a rare opportunity of meeting beautiful people from different countries with diverse backgrounds and culture.

“Having said that, let me use this opportunity to welcome all our guests from the different countries that are here for the championship and wish everyone a successful, injury-free and exciting competition.

“I believe at the end of it we will come out stronger and better lady golfers,” she said.

Olusegun Runsewe, the President of Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF), commended the IBB Club’s Ladies Section for putting up a good event.

He added that the competition was an opportunity for Nigerians to tell their story to other African countries.

“I commend the lady golfers of the IBB Golf Club for organising the 24th edition of the Ladies Open which is a unique brand of bringing so many countries together as well as stakeholders in the history of golf in Nigeria.

“I am extremely very happy and I can see the development of golf growing from strength to strength.

“For me, it is a new focus of giving the lady golfers another platform of improving their standard and coming together with other African countries to network and share ideas.

“So, we are very excited to have all of them here and I will also be participating in the tournament.

“This will indeed be another opportunity for us as a country to tell our story to the African countries that are here and let them see that golf is really improving in Nigeria.

“So, I am very happy and wish the ladies a very wonderful and successful outing and, at the end of the day, it will be a celebration for all,” he said.

Gbenga Elegbeleye, Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), said golf was a sport for all classes of the society.

“It is indeed encouraging to see this large number of women from different countries participating in the beautiful game and I will like to see more women, especially in the country, get involved in golf.

“I wish all participants a seamless tournament and to also look beyond the competition as one for recreation.

“I urge the organisers to also find a way of encouraging the younger ones to play golf so as to develop the game at the grassroots,” he said.

Anne Abeja, President of the Ugandan Ladies Golf Union, said the championship was one of the top-rated tournaments on the African continent.

She added that always looked forward to participating in the competition.

“I am so excited to be here and I must confess that being a lady golfer is such a great feeling. It has many benefits as you get to travel and interact with people from different countries.

“There is also the health benefits derived from playing the game as well as so many other opportunities and advantages. So, it is an all-round game.

“I have been to several editions of the IBB Ladies Open, including that of last year. It was a great event with many foreign countries well represented and the competition was stiff. I emerged as the best foreign player

“I am looking forward to a stiffer competition this year and I hope to make the top 10,” she said.

Joy Ikwue, Captain of the IBB International Golf and Country Club, said the aim of the championship was to bring ladies from various countries and golf courses to compete and have fun.

“We are here once again to compete amongst ourselves and crown a new champion as well as network and foster camaraderie amongst ourselves.

“This year’s tournament promises to be more competitive as we will be talking of gross and not nett.

“When you talk of nett, that is when you deduct the handicap of the player. But this time around we are going to be playing ‘bone-to-bone’. So, it is basically going to be a gross tournament,” she said.

Jane Ahmed, Competition Secretary of the club’s Ladies Section, said no fewer than 160 lady golfers from Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Botswana are taking part in the tournament.

“This year’s tournament promises to be one of the biggest and highly competitive tournaments as we have ladies from all over the country as well as other African countries competing for honours in different categories.

“We have the Open Championship, which is the main tournament for handicap 0 to handicap 28 and will be played over a three-day period with the player with the lowest gross emerging as the overall winner,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Olawale Alabi

By Emmanuel Afonne

Team Delta has maintained top spot of the concluded 2022 edition of the National Sports Festival (NSF) after a review of the medals table as directed by the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dare had inaugurated a Committee of Experts, Chaired by Retired Brig.-Gen. Emmanuel Okaro, to review the Medals Table of the 21st NSF, which was tagged “Delta 2022” following complaints of irregularities by some states.

The Committee, in its terms of reference, was to, among others, determine the shortfalls in the computation of the medals table as well as establish the exact and correct result with a view to putting an end to the complaints surrounding it.

A statement signed on Wednesday by Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, stated that the final medals table was released in line with the recommendations of the Committee.

“The medals table has now been rectified and approved by the Ministry,” he said.

Abubakar stated that the committee submitted that human errors occasioned by administrative laxity, inexperience, general delays, non-awareness and misapplication of the substantive Festival Rules led to the flaws observed in the earlier computed medals table.

“The full application of the Rules meant that the results from some events in Athletics, Scrabble, Weightlifting and Wresting, which did not meet the criteria for scoring, were not recorded on the reviewed medals Table.

“While in accordance with Rule 28 of the World Para Powerlifting Rules and Regulations (March 2022), only the results from ‘Best Lift Medal’ were recorded for the sport of Powerlifting.

“Consequently, it is significant to note that most of the States retained their positions on the Medals Table, thereby maintaining the status quo.

“However, some States lost some Medals as the Committee applied all extant rules guiding the organisation of the National Sports Festival as applicable in Games of this magnitude.

“In order to correct the observed anomaly and to uphold the integrity of the Festival, the Ministry will take appropriate administrative procedures to prevent future reoccurrence as recommended by the Committee.

“In the reviewed Medals Table, Delta State maintained its lead with a total of 280 Gold, 168 Silver and 120 Bronze medals, followed by Bayelsa, Edo and Oyo States, which had 106 Gold, 69 Gold and 43 Gold medals respectively.”

Oyo, Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Akwa Ibom, FCT and Ogun remained in the top 10, while Zamfara, Sokoto and Jigawa states occupied the bottom of the table with zero, one, and five Medals respectively. (NAN) (www.nannees.ng)

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Edited by Vincent Obi

By Chimezie Anaso

The Anambra Sports Commission is set to unveil sports associations for sports development in the state, its Chairman Patrick-Estate Onyedum says.

Onyedum said this during a familiarisation visit to his office by Tony Nezianya, the newly elected Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in Awka.

According to Onyedum, the Commission has taken inventory of the performance and contributions of the previous boards, whose tenures have elapsed.

“We have identified that this will be the way to begin our quest for sports development from the grassroots.

“There is no doubt that a few made sterling contributions for which we are indeed happy but a number of them are moribund.

“We shall seek the approval of the government to reactivate the associations by formally dissolving the previous boards,” Onyedum said.

He said the idea was to use the association to discover the numerous talents that abound in the state which must be made clear to the chairman of their executive committee members.

“We shall certainly have some goals in mind in reconstituting the boards. We shall allow new associations and new sports to be grown in our state.

“They must hold regular meetings and competitions by raising funds from the private sector in support of their sport that will invariably be supported by the government. Government cannot develop sports on its own”.

Onyedum, who served the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, said he hoped to allow relatively new federations to be established in the state.

“We shall allow them so long as it will facilitate the human development index of the state as well as our quest for medals and honours to the state from local and international competitions.

“We do not have all the resources we require to develop our sports and infrastructure. We shall encourage those that will attract the development of infrastructure to support the growth and development of sports in Anambra.

Earlier, Nezianya requested Onyedum to allow federations like the Nigeria Triathlon Federation to start an affiliate Association in the state.

Triathlon, an Olympic sport, comprises three-in-one sports including Cycling, distance running and swimming, where an athlete can win an Olympic Gold by amassing points.

“There are some others that may wish to make similar requests. Let us welcome them. They may be the ones that can secure the state the honours they have been looking for,” he said.

Nezianya had served twice in two Olympiads from 2001 to 2005 and 2005 to 2009. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Maureen Atuonwu

By Victor Nwachukwu

The Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Obinze, Owerri, Brig.- Gen. Sani Sulaiman, has described sports as critical to the intellectual development of students.

The Commander said this on Friday at the 2023 Inter-house Sports competition of the Army Day Secondary School, Obinze.

Sulaiman said that sports had a role to play in helping individuals to discover and develop their God-given talents.

He said: “Sports has a special place in the development of individuals.

“It exposes you to opportunities that will help you discover your talents and aids intellectual development as it stimulates mental awareness.

“I want to urge you to try to identify your talents, using this opportunity so that beyond classroom work, you can be more useful to yourselves, families and Nigeria at large,” he told the students.

Sulaiman commended the school for organising the event.

In a speech, the Principal for Senior Secondary, Mrs Chigozirim Echefu, said that world champions could be discovered through secondary school sports.

Echefu advised the students to take the annual event seriously.

She thanked Sulaiman for his logistics and other forms of support to the school.

She cited the renovation of classroom blocks, provision of white boards, a water borehole as well as volleyball and basketball courts for the school.

Also, the Principal for Junior Secondary, Mr Thompson Amadi, said that sports was necessary to turn possible social vices into virtues.

Amadi said that society becomes virtuous and safer as students get more productive in their academic activities.

Highpoint of the event was the launch of the school’s brochure, entitled “The Champion Within”, by the Director of Sports, Imo Secondary Education Management Board, Mrs Dorathy Ajoku.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Yellow House emerged the overall winners of the competition with five gold, four silver and four bronze medals.

Blue House came second with five gold, three silver and three bronze.

The students competed in junior and senior categories of 100m, 200m, 1×400m, Egg and Sack races, amongst others. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Sam Oditah