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Tag: International Olympic Committee (IOC)

  • Asia Olympic chief quits FIFA role over bribery scandal

    Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, the FIFA Council member who also runs the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), said on Sunday he was resigning all his posts in football after being drawn into the latest bribery scandal to hit the game’s governing body.

    The Kuwaiti issued a statement on Saturday “strongly” denying any wrongdoing.

    His comments came after U.S. Court documents made reference to a Kuwaiti OCA official as being involved in the bribery case of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee member, Richard Lai.

    Lai, also president of the Guam Football Association (GFA), pleaded guilty on Thursday to wire fraud conspiracy charges before U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn, according to U.S. prosecutors, who said he had taken close to 1 dollars million in bribes.

    “With regards to alleged illegal payments to Richard Lai, I can only refer to my previous statement and vigorously deny any wrongdoing,’’ Sheikh Ahmad said in a statement released by the OCA on Sunday.

    “I intend to work with all relevant authorities to disprove these for me totally surprising allegations.

    “However, I do not want these allegations to create divisions or distract attention from the upcoming AFC and FIFA Congresses.

    “Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided it is in the best interests of FIFA and the AFC (Asian Football Confederation), for me to withdraw my candidacy for the FIFA Council and resign from my current football positions.’’

    The FIFA Council replaced the largely discredited Executive Committee as FIFA’s decision-making body under reforms instituted in the wake of the 2015 corruption scandal.

    The AFC will elect four members, one a woman, to the FIFA Council at a congress in Bahrain in May.

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino thanked Sheikh Ahmad for standing down from the body.

    “I have taken note of the decision of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al Sabah. I want to thank him for taking this decision which certainly was not easy to take but is in the best interest for FIFA,’’ Infantino said in a statement.

    Sheikh Ahmad served on FIFA’s Reform Committee as well as the FIFA Council but he is primarily known as a key powerbroker in the Olympic movement.

    As well as heading the OCA, he is president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

    According to a statement from the Eastern District of New York of the U.S. Attorney’s office, Lai, who is also a U.S national, pleaded guilty to receiving bribes from what the statement called “a faction of soccer officials in the AFC region.’’

    Lai helped “officials in that faction identify other officials in the AFC to whom they should offer bribes.

    The goal of this scheme was for the faction to gain control of the AFC and influence FIFA,’’ said the statement.

    Court documents list four un-named co-conspirators in the case.

  • IOC to confirm Oribamise, others for 2018 Youth Olympic Games

    IOC to confirm Oribamise, others for 2018 Youth Olympic Games

    Less than 24 hours after Nigeria’s Tosin Esther Oribamise and three others qualified for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will this week confirmed the Nigerian star alongside others for the multi-sports tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    According to ITTF Competition Manager, Mounir Bessah, the list of the African qualifiers would be forwarded to IOC today and the Olympic body is expected to confirm their qualifications from the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the players.

    “I will send Oribamise and three others names to IOC Wednesday and hoping that IOC will then need to confirm their qualification based on the results recorded at the qualifiers in Tunis from their various NOC. It is after this that they will be registered formally by the world body. But I will need to send it to IOC first which they will confirm to me before the end of this week,” Bessah said.

    Oribamise is the second Nigerian player to be featuring in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) after Ojo Onaolapo took part in the maiden edition of YOG in Singapore, where he made it to the quarterfinal stage of the boys’ singles and now the Ondo State-born star is now integral part of the senior national team.

    However, President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, said the four players were indeed the best from the continent considering the qualities they displayed at the qualifiers.

    “I am satisfied with the qualities of play from all the players that took part in the qualifiers and those that emerged were indeed the best from the qualifiers. I just need to appeal to national associations to ensure that these four players prepare very well for the games because I could recall at the maiden edition of the game in Singapore, Africa represented by Tunisia’s Adam Hmem partnered with a Chinese player to win bronze in the mixed doubles event and it will be good if Africa can also do well next year in Argentina,” El-Salhy said.

    He however, said there are possibilities that Africa applied for wildcards which he said can only be awarded to countries with less number of participants in the games. “We hope to apply for wildcards because at the 2014 edition in China, we had four wildcards for Togo, Congo Brazzaville and others making African having eight players competing. But we hope we can apply again but this will only be given to countries with less number of participants in the games and not to top countries,” the ITTF Africa boss added.

  • President Buhari assures on Nigeria’s participation in 2018 Commonwealth Games

    President Buhari assures on Nigeria’s participation in 2018 Commonwealth Games

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the country would participate with an adequately prepared contingent in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

    Buhari gave the assurance as he received the Queens Baton Relay in Lagos on Monday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, flagged off the Queen’s Baton Relay on March 13 in London which coincided with the Commonwealth Day.

    “It’s a great pleasure to receive the Queen’s Baton Relay in Nigeria. The Baton is expected to move round all the Commonwealth nations.

    “Next year’s edition, which is the 21st Commonwealth Games, will mark Nigeria’s fifth participation in the Queen’s Relay. The Queen’s Baton Relay is a challenge for us to prepare for the Games.

    “We plan to send a ready team of athletes to the Games with the hope of surpassing our past records in terms of medal haul,’’ said Buhari, represented by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung.

    “We will not relent in our role of ensuring that athletes are equipped with adequate resources for training and participation in the competition.

    “Government must invest and transform training facilities and uplift the technical men. We will continue to pursue this as a noble policy that will take Nigeria forward.’’

    He said that Buhari couldn’t come to receive the Queen’s Baton Relay personally and asked him to do that on his behalf and that of the entire sport-loving Nigerians.

    Habu Gumel, the President, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), welcoming the Queen’s Baton Relay and the five delegates that accompanied it, said that Nigeria had been a strong force in the Commonwealth sports community.

    “Since our debut in the 1950 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, our nation’s profile at the quadrennial Games has been on the rise.

    “Nigerian athletes have never failed to prove their mettle in placing our nation on the scoreboard of this global sporting fiesta.

    “For our nation to sustain the winning momentum at the Commonwealth level, we will require all the support of both the public and private sector, especially in the area of funding.

    “ This will ensure adequate preparation for the participation of our contingent. We therefore, solicit the continuous support of everyone.

    “At our level, the Nigerian Commonwealth and the Olympic family through our collaborations with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has continually offered athletes and coaches opportunities for training and personal development through international scholarships and technical courses,’’ he said.

    The Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Lehmann, said the Queen’s Baton Relay came with a message of peace and goodwill to all Nigerians.

    Lehmann said that Australia was proud to be hosting the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

    “It is my pleasure to celebrate the stories and successes of Nigerians athletes as the Baton makes its way through the beautiful city Lagos.

    “Australia and Nigeria are nations of sport lovers. I believe sports can support the ambitions of all people regardless of age, background, gender or ability.

    “The people to people link between Australia and Nigeria grow stronger each year and we look forward to welcoming Nigerian athletes to Australia in 2018,’’ he said.

    Lehmann said it’s believed that Australia is far but it’s the distance that makes us closer.

    “There are so many tourists sites that Nigerians can visit while in Australia. Our level of hospitality can’t be compared,’’ he said.

    He noted that for the first time, the physically challenged will be participating in the Communication Games.

    “The physically challenged and the able-bodied athletes will all have the same number if events to participate in,’’ he said.

    Among the dignitaries at the event are Hauwa Kulu-Akinyemi, the Chairman Local Organising Committee for Queen’s Baton Relay, the Athletics federation of Nigeria (AFN) President, Solomon Ogba and former NOC President, Sanni Ndanusa.

    NAN reports that Olympians and Paralympians were also present and among them were renowned former athletes Yusuf Alli, Falilat Ogunkoya, Chioma Ajunwa and Henry Amike.

    Students from the Pacelli School for the Blind, Surulere, Atunda-Olu School for the Physically and Mentally challenged, Surulere, Wesley School for the Hearing Impaired, Surulere and Children Development Center, Surulere attended.

  • London 2012: Three more athletes fail doping tests

    London 2012: Three more athletes fail doping tests

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday said three more athletes have tested positive for doping in reanalysis of samples from the 2012 Olympic Games, including a Russian relay silver medalist.

    IOC is the supreme authority of the worldwide Olympic movement, an international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

    IOC said Antonina Krivoshapka of the Russian 4×400 metres team, which finished second to the U.S., tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol).

    It said that Russians would give up their silver medals as a result of the disqualification.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Russia had already lost the silver medal in the event from the 2008 Games due to doping violations.

    The IOC is reanalysing over 1,000 doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Games using improved analytical methods.

    Another Russian, the discus thrower Vera Ganeeva, and Turkish boxer Adem Kilicci were also named as testing positive in retests of 2012 samples.

  • Olympics: NTTF plans celebration for legend Toriola

    Olympics: NTTF plans celebration for legend Toriola

    …Calls up 20 for World Juniors in SA

    To follow the footsteps of International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is planning a befitting celebration for the first African to attend seven Olympic Games, Segun Toriola.

    According to the President of NTTF, Wahid Oshodi, it behooves on the federation to honour Toriola for his giant stride in the sport while there are plans to recommend the former African champion and others for national honours.

    “The NTTF will definitely be celebrating the Legend with a series of activities in Nigeria. His achievements are so inspiring that we must find a way to say thank you to this great talented patriotic Nigerian. The IOC, the ITTF and the ATTF have led the way and we surely will ensure that we give him a befitting award. We are also hopeful that the Ministry of Youth and Sports will join us in this laudable quest. This will be done at a time to fit into his busy schedule.”

    He added: “We shall also be making a fervent case for athletes like Toriola, Funke Oshonaike Bose Kaffo and Babatunde Obisanya  alongside other remarkable athletes outside football and athletics be recognized when national honours are being awarded.”

    Meanwhile, the federation is poised to build on the performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as it has called up 20 players made up of 12 boys and eight girls for this year’s World Junior Championship holding later in the year in Cape Town, South Africa. The camping begins on Monday August 23 to September 3 at the National Training Centre of Lagos National Stadium.

    Teenage sensations – Abayomi Animasahun and Tosin Oribamise top the list of invited players. Others are Azeez Solanke, Amadi Umeh, Michael Abayomi, Augustine Emmanuel, Jamiu Ayanwale, Ololade Oyenekan, Tobi Falana, Etim Orok, Babafemi Babatunde and Umar Ibrahim made up the boys’ list, while the girls are – Agnes Onoja, Ajoke Ojomu, Alimot Ayinla, Rofiat Jimoh and Sukurat Aiyelabegan.

    The NTTF further said: “On his return to Nigeria from Rio, Toriola will lead a two week training session for the 20 junior players invited to camp for selecting the team that will represent Nigeria at the World Junior Table Tennis Championships holding in Cape Town, South Africa in November/December this year.”

     

  • Olympics: NTTF plans celebration for legend Toriola

    Olympics: NTTF plans celebration for legend Toriola

    • Calls up 20 for World Juniors in South Africa

    To follow the footsteps of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is planning a befitting celebration for the first African to attend seven Olympic Games, Segun Toriola.

    According to the President of NTTF, Wahid Oshodi, it behooves on the federation to honour Toriola for his giant stride in the sport while there are plans to recommend the former African champion and others for national honours.

    “The NTTF will definitely be celebrating the Legend with a series of activities in Nigeria. His achievements are so inspiring that we must find a way to say thank you to this great talented patriotic Nigerian. The IOC, the ITTF and the ATTF have led the way and we surely will ensure that we give him a befitting award. We are also hopeful that the Ministry of Youth and Sports will join us in this laudable quest. This will be done at a time to fit into his busy schedule.”

    He added: “We shall also be making a fervent case for athletes like Toriola, Funke Oshonaike Bose Kaffo and Babatunde Obisanya  alongside other remarkable athletes outside football and athletics be recognized when national honours are being awarded.”

    Meanwhile, the federation is poised to build on the performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as it has called up 20 players made up of 12 boys and eight girls for this year’s World Junior Championship holding later in the year in Cape Town, South Africa. The camping begins on Monday, August 23 to September 3 at the National Training Centre of Lagos National Stadium.

    Teenage sensations – Abayomi Animasahun and Tosin Oribamise top the list of invited players. Others are Azeez Solanke, Amadi Umeh, Michael Abayomi, Augustine Emmanuel, Jamiu Ayanwale, Ololade Oyenekan, Tobi Falana, Etim Orok, Babafemi Babatunde and Umar Ibrahim made up the boys’ list, while the girls are – Agnes Onoja, Ajoke Ojomu, Alimot Ayinla, Rofiat Jimoh and Sukurat Aiyelabegan.

    The NTTF further said: “On his return to Nigeria from Rio, Toriola will lead a two week training session for the 20 junior players invited to camp for selecting the team that will represent Nigeria at the World Junior Table Tennis Championships holding in Cape Town, South Africa in November/December this year.”

  • Toriola gets ITTF recognition for Olympics feat

    Toriola gets ITTF recognition for Olympics feat

    Just like the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the sole custodian of table tennis globally, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has recognised the feat set by one of Africa’s most decorated athletes, Segun Toriola as the world table tennis ruling body identified with the record to be set by the former African champion at Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.

    In the media guide released by ITTF, Toriola’s feat was listed on page 15 stating, “Nigeria’s Segun Toriola will be playing his seventh Olympic Games in Rio, which is the most of any African athlete from any Olympic sport.”

    “Sweden’s Jorgen Persson, Croatia’s Zoran Primorac and Belgium’s Jean-Michel Saive have played in 7 Olympic Games, most of any table tennis player. Nigeria’s Segun Toriola will join them, as he plays his 7th Olympic in Rio,” it stated.

    The best African performer at the Olympic Games is Segun Toriola whose outing at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in China became the reference globally. Toriola’s biggest achievement at the Olympic Games has been reaching the Men’s Singles 1/16 final at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, beating amongst others former world number 1 Jean-Michel Saive as well as David Zhuang. His 1/32 match-up with Jean-Michel Saive was seen by many as one of the highlights of the Men’s Singles Tournament. He narrowly lost 4-3 to heavily favoured Oh Sang-Eun in the 1/16 final.

    From record of table tennis at the Olympic Games, no African player or team has won medal but Nigeria is among the 15 countries that have featured in the table tennis event of the Olympic Games since 1988 when table tennis became a medal hauling event at the Olympic Games. Others are Sweden,Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Japan, Korea Republic, Poland and the United States.

    Among the six countries that have always have both male and female representation in the table tennis event of the Olympic Games, Nigeria made the list while others are Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea Republic and the United States..

  • Ahead of Rio 2016 Olympic Games: Toriola gets IOC recognition

    For being the first Africa to be competing at seven Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recognized the rare feat of Nigeria’s Segun Toriola.

    Toriola who is the first African athlete to feature in seven Olympic Games will be competing in the table tennis event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil and with this development, the has lauded the most decorated table tennis player as a record breaker.

    In the article published on the IOC website on Monday, Toriola was described as a record breaking athlete, who is Africa’s most successful table tennis player of all-time.

    For appearing at every Olympic Games since his debut at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games in Spain, Toriola has been lauded for being the first athlete from the continent to be making seven appearances at the Olympic Games.

    “Seven is the number of athletes who have appeared at seven Olympic Games or more, the outright record holder being Canadian show jumper Ian Millar, who made ten appearances between Munich 1972 and London 2012. Figuring large among the group of evergreen performers with seven Games to their name is legendary sprinter Merlene Ottey, while this most select club is about to welcome a new member in Nigerian table tennis player Segun Toriola, who booked his place at Rio 2016 in February,” IOC stated.

  • Russian crew banned from Rio Olympics over doping

    Russian crew banned from Rio Olympics over doping

    Russia’s men’s quadruple sculls crew were on Friday banned from the Rio Olympics after one of their members failed a doping test in May.

    The sport’s world governing body FISA said in a statement that Sergej Fedorovtsev provided a urine sample at an out-of-competition test conducted by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency on May 17.

    He tested positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine.

    The Russian crew had won the “last chance’’ qualifying regatta in Lucerne and advanced to the Rio Games, and they will now be replaced by third-placed New Zealand.

    FISA said Fedorovtsev’s “A” and “B’’ samples tested positive for the substance, which is typically used for the treatment of the heart condition angina pectoris. and is a banned metabolic modulator.

    The “B” sample was tested on Thursday.

    The ban is the latest in an ongoing doping scandal within Olympic powerhouse Russia.

    Their track and field athletes have been banned from competing at Rio after a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report last year identified systemic doping in the country.

    Swimming’s world governing body FINA is also investigating reports of doping amongst Russian swimmers.

    Also, the country’s weightlifters face a ban from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following the re-testing of previous samples.

    Already, Rowing New Zealand confirmed earlier this week that three crews, including the men’s quadruple sculls, had returned to training after missing out on qualifying for Rio.

    This was in case there were any failed doping tests and quota spots reallocated by FISA.

    The men’s four were also continuing to train after they finished third in Lucerne.

    Russia’s men’s four qualified that boat for Rio at last year’s world championships.

    “We have appreciated the emotional ups and downs as the athletes first missed qualification only to be asked to remain in competition mode,” RNZ chief executive Simon Peterson said on Friday.

    “We are hugely disappointed that our athletes found themselves competing against cheats however very pleased … they have achieved their goal of winning a spot at the Olympic Games in Rio.”

  • Sports ministry officials in a fix over Olympics

    Sports ministry officials in a fix over Olympics

    With the fillers from the Ministry of Sports, things are not to be looking up as far as the Rio Olympic Games is concerned.

    Even most of the staff of the sports ministry are in a fix over the preparation as well as the country’s participation in the Rio Olympic Games.

    Aside the cosmetic preparation being embarked by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), there has been any tangible planning in place to affirm the country’s readiness for the games.

    NationSport learnt that a top official of the Sports Ministry are also lamenting that things are at a standstill as far as the Olympic Games is concerned.

    “We don’t even know what is happening because we are all in the dark on Rio Olympic Games. Even the recommendation we have made for the ministry to support athletes in their preparation, nothing is yet to materialise. We are just looking up to the next thing and this is really bad with less than 60 days to the commencement of the games in Brazil,” the official who pleaded anonymity lamented.

    Meanwhile, organisers of the Rio Olympics have unveiled the medals that will be competing for in Brazil.

    International Olympic Committee (IOC), President Thomas Bach, who was present at the launch event in Barra Olympic Park, said: “Today marks the start of the final countdown to the first Olympic Games to be staged in South America.”