The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Badminton

  • Lagos Int’l Badminton Classics Players commend Nigerians

    Lagos Int’l Badminton Classics Players commend Nigerians

    Foreign athletes participating in the ongoing Lagos International Badminton Classics at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Hall on Thursdays commended Nigerians for their hospitality.

    The athletes spoke on their impression of the competition and the country in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    Willem Viljoa representing South Africa said that he liked Nigeria because the people were accommodating, warm and down to earth.

    “The people here are friendly and I am enjoying my stay, they are making it memorable.

    “I won’t mind coming to Nigeria for vacation because it is an interesting country,” he said.

    Abhinan Prakash representing India said that Nigeria was an interesting country and different from what he thought it was before coming.

    Prakash said that one could never know how a place is except one goes there.

    “I am seeing an entirely different thing from what I thought Nigeria was and the people are awesome. They are very willing and ready to render assistance, the people at the hotel are treating us like they have known us since,” he said.

    He said that he ate Nigeria’s jollof rice and he loved it and it could make him to come back to the country for more.

    “The jollof rice I had was great, I love it so much that it can lure me back to Nigeria,” Prakash said.

    He said that he would have loved to explore the country but noted that the ongoing security challenges in some parts would make it impossible to do so.

    “I want to visit places and keep memories of some by pictures but the security issue will not allow me to do so. May God help Nigeria to resolve its challenges soonest,” he said.

    Prashant Shiroor from the Republic of Benin said that he had been enthralled by the scenery.

    “Nigerians are great, their accommodating level is very high and I am impressed.

    “I have a whole lot to tell my people when I get back to my base,” he said.

    He told NAN that he was originally from India but works in Republic of Benin which explained the reason he was representing the country.

    “My name denotes I am from India but working in Benin Republic, that is why I’m playing for Benin Republic,” Shiroor said.

    In terms of cuisine, the athlete said that in India they loved spicy foods and that he loved rice with spice that he had.

    NAN reports that the competition which served off on June 4 will be concluded on June 7.

    Seventeen countries  including the U.S., Austria, France, Israel, Canada, Slovenia, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Botswana and Uganda.

    Others are South Africa, Ghana, Italy, India, Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and the host, Nigeria.

    NAN reports that the competition’s total prize money is 15,000 dollars for all winners.

  • FEPSGA discontinues with badminton event after player’s death

    FEPSGA discontinues with badminton event after player’s death

    The Federation of Public Service Games Association (FEPSGA) will no longer feature badminton as a sport at its ongoing 2013 games in Makurdi, an official said on Tuesday.

    The FEPSGA Secretary, Umar Kibiya, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi that this was as a result of the death of one of the sport’s athletes. “The decision to discontinue with the sport is to honour the dead athlete,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the athlete, Sunday Dare, a staff of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) had on Monday slumped on the badminton court at the games venue. He died while playing against a player from the Police Service Commission (PSC).

    NAN also reports that badminton is one of the 14 sports at the 32nd edition of the games which is expected to end on Dec. 21.

  • Nigeria Badminton team arrives

    Nigeria Badminton team arrives

    AFRICA SENIOR BADMINTON C’SHIPS

    • Coach bemoans experience, blames poor officiating

    The Nigeria Badminton national team yesterday arrived the country after taking part in the Africa Senior Badminton Championship which took place in Mauritius and ended last week.

    Nigeria was dethroned as Africa Champions as they could only manage a gold, five silver and two bronze medals.

    On arrival at the Mutala Mohammed Airport at about 7.15pm, the coach of the team, Danjuma Fatauchi, blamed poor officiating and lack of adequate preparation as the reason for their unimpressive performance.

    “The officiating was not fair to us but despite that we were able to play well and at the end of the day we were able to win some of the events. We played in six finals, won one and lost the rest. We had one gold, five silver and two bronze medals. We were expecting more from this tournament because at the last All Africa Games we won up to three gold medals out of the five finals we qualified for, but unfortunately we were able to win just one gold, five silver, and two bronze medals.

    “I believe we would have cleared the gold medals, if we had camped at least for a month. The whole preparations were handled by the federation, the NSC did not come to our rescue, so the federation had to see that we were not disappointed by making sure we attended,” he said.

    Collaborating his coach’s position, the captain of the team, Olaoluwa Fagbemi said their target is to do well at the next Commonwealth Games, as the players intends to put this experience behind them.

    He said: “Other opponents went to Malaysia and the Ireland to prepare for this tournament, while we prepared here in Nigeria. The teams that prepared abroad were better prepared. Being the defending champions we believed in our abilities but preparation wise we were not there.

    “The Federation did wonderfully well, if not for their support we would not have achieve the little we did, getting to the finals. The government must come to the aid of the sport, they can’t afford to leave it for the federation or else it will not develop. The sports ministry must come to our aid”.

    There was no representative of the National Sports Commission (NSC) on hand to receive the contingents on arrival.

  • LAGOS INTER-CLUBS COMPETITIONS Bioku wins in Badminton

    LAGOS INTER-CLUBS COMPETITIONS Bioku wins in Badminton

    •Quadri shines in Tennis

    Femi Bioku was the cynosure of all eyes in the final of the Second Quarter Badminton Inter-Clubs Championship held at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba at the weekend when he beat his opponent, Seye Popoola 21-16, 21-15 to win the Men’s Singles of the tournament.

    Popoola, who was tipped to win the game, could not equal his opponent as Bioku was at his best throughout the game. “It was a good outing for me.I thank God that I won the men’s singles final. I will not rest on my oars and will ensure that I keep fit for future tournaments,” Bioku said after the match. In Women’s Single final, Tosin Solademi humbled her opponent, Shade Akinyemi 21-18, 21-17.

    Meanwhile, Oyinlomo Quadri lived up to family tradition, as she defied all odds to win the Lagos State Tennis Association’s U-14 Championship.

    Quadri was a delight to watch just like her siblings who are forces to reckon with in Nigerian junior tennis. She beat her opponent in the U-14 girls’ singles final, Marylove Edwards 6-1, 6-1 to win the Laptop gift of the competition. Quadri told journalists at the venue of the competition, Rowe Park, Yaba that the inter-clubs tourney has been a good platform for her to prepare herself for a junior competition which she would be attending in Morocco later this year. The boys’ singles of the competition was won by David Amusu who defeated Henant Vaswani in straight sets of 6-0, 6-0.

    Honorary Secretary of the Lagos State Tennis Association, Adewunmi Adisa said more of the inter-clubs competitions are needed to keep the athletes busy and discover new budding talents.

    In Karate’s inter-clubs competition, Emma Martial Art Club won the tourney with 5 gold, 3 silver and 10 bronze medals. I Do Karate Club was second with 3 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals, while Golden Academy Karate Club was third with 2 gold medals.

    The ongoing inter-clubs competitions are being organised by various sports associations in Lagos State with funding facilitated by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development as well as the Office of the Grassroots Sports Development in the Governor’s Office.

     

  • Bello Kao’je:Why I’m in love with badminton

    CELEB FITNESS

    BADMINTON is a sport that demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, explosive strength, speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements.

    No wonder it is the preferred choice of Honourable Bello Kaoje, member, Federal House of Representative Committee on Sports, amongst others.

    “As a youngster, I played badminton and I’m still playing the game as a hobby,” stated Kao’je. “I don’t have any keep-fit regimen besides eating little and playing badminton.”

    According to steadyHealth.com, badminton is a sporting activity that provides multiple health benefits and promotes longevity and playing badminton for at least half an hour per day helps increase the heart rate and helps mild breathlessness in middle-aged persons while lowering the death risk by approximately 23 percent in 20 subsequent years.

    Experts also conclude that playing badminton can also help overweight people in reducing fat and attaining the weight optimal for their age and height because a person burns significant amounts of calories and prevents them from piling up as fat and further increasing their weight.

    A property developer and Managing Director, Godiya Miyetti Ltd (GML), Kao’je said his love for the racquet game dates back to his school days and it is a sport that he can hardly do without.

    “You could see that my weight is commensurate to my body size,” he noted.  “I don’t have any excess fat on my body.

    “I love badminton very much because it tasks all parts of the body. I play badminton everyday of the week particularly when I’m in Abuja.

    “I have a lot of play mates and I equally have a coach; and that should tell you how much I love badminton. I’m always happy with my level of fitness anytime I play badminton and it helps me in other areas of life too.”

    A representative of Bagudu/Suru Constituency in the House of Representatives, Kao’je is the younger brother of erstwhile Minister for Sport/Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Bawa Kao’je whom he served as Special and Personal Assistant.

    “The former sports minister, Honourable Bala Kaoje, is my older brother,” he said. “All thanks are to Allah that members of our family found themselves within the sporting circle.

    “My brother is really at home with sport and by some coincidence, I found myself in the Sport Committee at the National Assembly.

    “I’m married and have three kids.  Apart from my brother who was a former minister, I have another brother who is a Commodore in the Nigerian Navy and I have a sister too.

    “I’m the last born of the family and despite the fact that I’m old, my siblings are still looking after me but I look after my fitness level by playing badminton regularly,” stated the soft-spoken Kao’je who marked his 41st birthday just yesterday – June 15.

  • Badminton coach dreams gold at Abuja tourney

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Badminton Coach, Ahmed Bako, says he is hopeful that his players will surpass their previous three gold medals at this year’s Abuja City National Badminton Championships.

    Bako told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that although the players had done well in the last two editions, he hoped they would beat their records. NAN reports that the 3rd Abuja City National Badminton Championships began on Sept. 24 in Abuja with 27 states participating.

    Bako said the FCT had 30 players in the competition, comprising 16 males and 14 females for the U-20 and senior categories.

    “We are always prepared and we hope to beat our last year’s record of three gold medals.

    “If we can beat that, good, but if we can’t and we can maintain what we have, well too, but we pray not to go less than the three,’’ he said.

    Bako said the FCT’s participation in the competition was part of its preparation for the 18th National Sports Festival, scheduled for Nov. 27 to Dec. 9 in Lagos.

    “Our participation will help us see how well we have prepared and see what areas we will look into before the festival.

    “After the championships we’re going to have only one and a half months before the festival, so, this competition has come at the right time because we will use it to test our players’ ability,’’ he said.

    He noted that out of the 10 slots given to each state for badminton at the festival, the FCT would only utilise eight because proper plans had to be made to accommodate them.

    “The fewer you go with, the more committed they will be and you will be able to tactically appraise them better than when you have a large number.

    “Also, the female teams are stronger than the male teams so our strength will lie with the female teams,’’ Bako said.