The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Championship

  • MTN World Golfers Nigerian Championship 2014: 23-Year Old student, Ajah wins title

    MTN World Golfers Nigerian Championship 2014: 23-Year Old student, Ajah wins title

    Sunday Ajah, a 23 year-old secondary school leaver from Aba Golf Course, Abia State has won the major category, 0-5, in this year’ s MTN World Golfers Nigerian Championship which took place at the Ibom Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State over the weekend.

    The former student of Boys Technical College, Aba, who incidentally is one of the youngest players in the tournament, came to the championship as the winner of the Eastern qualifiers. In this edition, Sunday Ajah beat his close rivals in the 0-5 category, Peter Eben-Spiff of Ikoyi Golf Club, Lagos and another young player, Abiodun Oyewoga of Sagamu Golf Club with a net score of 147 to 153 and 162 respectively.

    Also in other categories, Francis Demekaa of Air Assault Club, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Usenobong Akpabio of Ibom Golf Club, Akwa Ibom State and Angela Uwabor, of Ibori Golf Club, Delta State emerged the winners in the 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 categories respectively. Babajide Oredugba of Ikeja Golf Club, Lagos State won the 21-25 category. Speaking at the prize presentation, Sunday Ajah said it took the grace of God to emerge the winner in the category. “As you are aware, 0-5 category represents the biggest in the championship, and everybody in this category is equally good and has considerable experience in the game, so it takes God’s grace, consistency and continuous hard work for me to win. I started as a caddy in 2007, I studied through the game and today I am a national champion, I believe it is the grace of God,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mike Ikpoki who also played in the 11-15 category, reiterated the company’s commitment  not only to the development of the game in Nigeria, but also as a company that will continue to act as a significant economic enabler, empowering millions of Nigerians and businesses across Nigeria.

    “In fact, through our innovative product offerings and value-adding services, we will continue to demonstrate our commitment to making our customers’ lives a whole lot better. With MTN World Golfers Championship, we provide a very exciting and competitive platform to develop the players. With all modesty, this is the biggest and best Golfers Championship in the country and we are proud of it. More so, as a brand that always encourages its customers to be better in all they do, we shall continue to give it our support,” he declared.

    This year’s World Golfers Championship is the 20th edition, and for 10 years, Nigeria has been participating in the championship. The winners in the five categories of the MTN World Golfers Nigerian Championship which include Sunday Ajah, Francis Demekaa, Usenobong Akpabio, Angela Uwabor and Babajide Oredugba will represent Nigeria in their respective categories at the world championship in Durban, South Africa in October this year.

  • Ishola tipped for Greatness

    Ishola tipped for Greatness

    Abdazeez Abdkareem has hailed the qualities of Minsk winger, Ishola Tawa.

    The 25-year-old has earned rave reviews since she arrived in Belarus from Ibom Angels at the beginning of the 2014 season.

    The playmaker known as 301 by her admirers has always terrorized the defensive network of oppositions in the BWPL with sweeping skills that has gotten her many admirers. Abdkareem lauded the quality of the exciting winger and tipped her for greatness.

    “I want to congratulate the entire management and staffs of Minsk for having a wonderful talent like Tawa,” Abdkareem told SL10 via telephone conversation.

    “Ishola has always played well and has a great future ahead of her if she continues to play like that.”

    “I am happy for her because she knows how to take on defenders and everyone should watch out for her.”

    On the omission of the forward from the recently released Super Falcons provisional 30-player squad for the African Women’s Championship, he said coach Edwin Okon knows best on the decision, but he believes Tawa will be missed during the tournament in Namibia.

  • Iheanacho is ripe for Eagles

    Iheanacho is ripe for Eagles

    Nduka Ugbade, current assistant manager of the Nigerian U-20 team ‘The Flying Eagles’ has declared that Manchester City kid sensation Kelechi Iheanacho is ‘ripe’ for a Super Eagles call up.

    Iheanacho was voted MVP at the last U-17 World Cup after he helped Nigeria win her fourth world title in record breaking fashion – scoring six goals with seven assists in sublime manner.

    That feat earned him a big money move to English giants Manchester City after they beat competition from the likes of FC Porto, Arsenal and Barcelona for his services and he hasn’t failed to impress ever since.

    The 17-year-old was the star attraction for the Etihad landlords on their pre-season tour of the United States as he notched up three quality goals in the three games he played for the Citizens against Sporting Kansas, AC Milan, and Liverpool to confirm his status as the ‘next big thing in world football.’

    Speaking exclusively with SportingLife, Ugbade said: “We’ve seen Iheanacho develop in the last couple of years and his intelligence on the ball is wonderful because he has the right information to propel him unto great heights.

    “And I’m confident that he can do a good job in the Super Eagles if given the opportunity because he is ripe enough for a call up.”

    Ugbade, who captained Nigeria to her first U-17 World Cup title in 1985, then talked up the chances of Mohammed (current captain of the Flying Eagles), Musa Yahaya, and Dele Alampasu making it into the Super Eagles squad in the nearest future.

    “Our boy in Tottenham – Musa Yahaya, is doing very well at the moment and I’m confident in his abilities to succeed anywhere because he is a very clever player.

    “The captain – Mohammed is a strong player too. Dele Alampasu went to the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) with the home-based Eagles which is good and I’m sure that if others are given the opportunity they’ll grab it with both hands,” he added.

    Iheanacho is currently injured but very much in the plans of Manchester City’s manager Mannuel Pellegrini as he rates the Nigerian very high.

  • Eucharia, Mabo to Falconets:No team is unbeatable

    Eucharia, Mabo to Falconets:No team is unbeatable

    • Duo warn Nigerian women against complacency

    Former Super Falcons coaches Uche Eucharia and Ismaila Mabo have charged the Falconets to approach their game with Korea DPR with focus,determination and resolve to write their names in gold like their predecessors that got to the semi-final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup before them.

    The Falconets are playing in their third semi-final in succession in FIFA U-20 World Cup after the last two sets made it at least to this stage.

    The 2010 set went past Colombia 1-0 in the semi-final before bowing out 2-0 to hosts Germany in the final in Dresden while in the Japan 2012 edition Desire Oparanozie’s flying header against Mexico during the extra time sent the Falconets to the last four where they lost to the United States 2-0 before another 2-1 loss to Japan in the third place game.

    With another chance of a place in the final staring them in the face,Eucharia who led the Super Falcons to the African Women’s Championship(AWC) in South Africa in 2010, has admonished the Falconets to approach the game with the right frame of mind and never allow inferiority complex to set in stating that no team is unbeatable with the right tactics.

    She, however, cautioned the Falconets to guard against complacency if they scale through the hurdle called North Korea.

    “My advise to them is to be focused and don’t be complacent against North Korea. No team is unbeatable and I will urge them to play with a relaxed mind knowing fully well that some of their colleagues have gone past this stage in the past”Eucharia told SportingLife.

    Lending his support to the Falconets,Ismaila Mabo also challenged the team to go all the way to ensure that Nigeria aims at the cup this time around after the loss to Germany in the final of the 2010 edition.

  • Ahead OF CAF U-17 Championship qualifier: Amuneke drops five players from Eaglets squad

    Ahead OF CAF U-17 Championship qualifier: Amuneke drops five players from Eaglets squad

    Five players have been dropped by Nigeria U-17 coach Emmanuel Amuneke as they step up their preparation for an African Championship qualifier against Gabon in September.

    The players are Ebije Yahaya, Prince Omosowhofa, Chinedu Madueke,  Kingsley Ohiri and Kabiru Muhammed-incidentally all midfielders-and have since left the team’s camp in Calabar.

    The five, who were given the marching order, according to the coaching crew, have significantly dropped in form and have contributed little to the fortune of the team in recent times.

    The Golden Eaglets dispatched Congo Democratic Republic on a 5-0 aggregate early this month, but coach  Amuneke said there was no room for complacency.

    “The party is over and it is about time we forget about what we had done recently,” Amuneke told the players.

    “But it is unfortunate that some have not really measured up to the standard we expected.

    “We must now focus our attention squarely on Gabon because it would be their desire to qualify for the Under-17 Championship in Niger.

    “We have reasonably pruned down the list based on the need of the team according to their performance in comparison to others “explained Emeka Amadi, goalkeepers’ trainer, adding that the coaching crew has a pool of players  to be called upon when the need arises.

    “The good thing is that we are in a process of raising a team that can defend the World Cup won in 2013 and we would continue to shuffle the team from time to time since we have about 45 players registered with Confederation of African Football (CAF).”

  • Mersin Ä°dmanyurdu ponder move for Kalu Uche

    Mersin Ä°dmanyurdu ponder move for Kalu Uche

    Newly promoted Turkish Super Lig side Mersin Idmanyurdu are in the market for a new forward before the resumption of the championship.

    They have encountered difficulties in the pursuit of Anglo- Nigerian forward Carlton Cole and Spartak Moscow’s Wellinton.

    Fanatik writes on its electronic edition that the scouting department has turned its attention to Kalu Uche, who is currently on the books of El Jaish in the Qatar Stars League.

    The Super Eagles attacker might have severed ties with Kasimpasa in acrimonious circumstances before his shift to the Gulf.

    But that has not damaged his reputation one bit, having netted 19 goals during the 2012 – 2013 season to finish as the second top scorer in the league.

    The globetrotter, in football terms, has donned the colours of clubs in Spain, Switzerland, Poland, France, Turkey and Qatar.

  • African Women Championship: Namibia coach plots Falcons downfall

    African Women Championship: Namibia coach plots Falcons downfall

    Namibia will host the 2014 Africa Women Championship slated to start on October 11 .

    The head coach of the Namibian national women football team, Jacqueline Shipanga has acknowledged after the draw for the competition held on Saturday that he’s got some tough battle to conquer even though he believes that his girls are determined and confident to do well against Nigeria’s Super Falcons and the other teams in Group A.

    Shipanga told CAFonline that Namibia have been paired in a very tough group where the host nation, Namibia will face tournament favourite Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire who eliminated defending champions Equatorial Guinea in the qualifiers.

    “We have been paired in a very tough group, especially if you are to face Nigeria (six-time winners) and Cote d’Ivoire, which eliminated holders Equatorial Guinea during the qualifiers.”

    “Zambia is in the same situation just as being first timers. Looking at it, it is a group of death.”

    “From now,we want to engage stronger teams to get better. Namibia has one of the youngest teams but the girls are extremely determined and confident to do well,” Shipanga told CAFonline.

  • GOtv sponsors 5th Cross River State Athletics\ Swimming Championship

    GOtv has announced its partnership with the Cross River State government on the 5th Athletics and Swimming Championship for primary and secondary schools. This announcement was made at the Transcorp Hotel in Calabar on Tuesday.

    The sporting event will involve representatives from eighteen local government areas in Cross River State, and will run from Wednesday, 9 July through Saturday, 12 July 2014 at the UJ Esuene stadium, Calabar.

    Representing the general manager marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria, Miss Efe Obiomah, public relations manager GOtv, explained that the Cross River State government’s mission to groom the youth through sports is in line with MultiChoice Nigeria’s on-going promotion of sports and its development in Nigeria.

    Also speaking on the partnership, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Cross River State, Honourable Patrick Ugbe said: “We set out to attract private sector investment to support this initiative and consistency in carrying out successful events was key to achieving this. With the championship now in its fifth year, it is the belief of the Cross River State government that the partnership with GOtv and MultiChoice will be enduring.”

    He added that the objective of the initiative was to develop world champions, noting that the annual programme should be credited for Cross River State’s outstanding performances at three consecutive editions of the National Sports Festivals.

    GOtv’s total investment in the sponsorship runs into millions of naira and this covers the TV coverage of the four-day event and subsequent transmission via its SuperSport channels, staff and crew costs, as well as contribution to the funding of the event itself.

     

  • Male, female volleyball teams aim to reach world championships finals

    Male, female volleyball teams aim to reach world championships finals

    Ebenezer Morakinyo, Vice-President, Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), on Wednesday said the male and female national volleyball teams were working to reach the final rounds of the world championships qualifiers.

    NAN reports that the teams will be in Cameroun and Kenya for the third round of the Confederation of Africa Volleyball World Championships qualifiers in February

    Morakinyo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the NVBF would first ensure that the teams reached the final round of the zonal qualifiers of the championships.

    “The players will be in camp by this weekend ahead of the championships which comes up next month, I hope they will be 100 per cent ready before that time. The women will be going to Kenya while the men will be in Cameroun for the tournaments and we are doing all we can to ensure they secure tickets to the next stage of the competition,’’ he said.

    Morakinyo said the NVBF would meet this week to discuss what competitions the federation hoped to organise to improve the quality of the sport in 2014.

    “We already have several programmes lined up for volleyball such as the national championships which we hope Lagos will host. And we hope Jigawa will host another. We are just planning that and we also have a referees’ course for improving the technical abilities of match officials.

    “Then, there is the beach volleyball championship in the six geo-political zones which we are still looking for sponsorship,’’ he said.

    The vice-president also called for active participation of stakeholders in organising and sponsorship of competitions so that volleyball could grow.

    Meanwhile, the inaugural match of Nigeria’s volleyball league will kick off in March and the federation has consequently set up a four-man committee to recommend the appointment of monitors for the league.

  • Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship: Federation to prepare for 2014 international tourneys

    Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship: Federation to prepare for 2014 international tourneys

    The National Wheelchair Basketball Federation (NWBF) said on Wednesday that it would use the Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship to prepare the senior national team for 2014 international assignments.

    The competition is planned to hold from February 18 to 22 in Lagos. The federation’s Technical Director, Adoki Obererilene, said in Lagos that the competition would also be used to re-position the U-20 and U-23 teams for national assignments.

    “The various national teams will be better off after the third edition of the Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship. For instance, we failed to qualify for the 2013 World Cup in South Korea at the African qualifier held in Angola due to lack of exposure.

    “The Angola continental qualifier sent the right signal to us as the technical crew that we lacked exposure for the competition. That event at which we missed the sole African ticket for the global championship made us to realise that all is not well with the senior national team, Obererilene told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    “So, we will use the forthcoming Ochei championship to build up the teams and make them to be flawless technically. Although, my team came third and won the fair play trophy at the Angola qualifier, it was obvious that we are not as technically sound as other teams.’’

    He said the crew would go back to the drawing board with a view to correcting all observed technical flaws that worked against the team last year.

    The director noted that previously, the federation did not handover the various national teams to the National Sports Commission (NSC) for a proper follow-up for international exposure. He added that after the championship, the federation would hand over the players of the national teams to the commission for sponsorship.

    “In the past, we banked on sponsors but which were not adequate and not timely enough for our preparation towards international engagements. We now resolved that joint support from sponsors and the NSC will boost our preparation ahead of any competition,’’ he added.

    NAN reports that the winners of the Ochei championship will receive N2.5 million; runners-up N1.5 million and the third-place winners will take home N1 million. The competition is sponsored annually by the Speaker, Delta House of Assembly, Victor Ochei.