The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Onyali

  • Onyali vows to raise future women 100m stars

    Onyali vows to raise future women 100m stars

    • Wins FABPAN awards, Opara Thompson, Ajunwa, Brume too

    Former African record holder in the women’s 100m, a bronze medalist in 1992 Barcelona Olympics in 4x100m women’s relay, Mary Onyali- Omagbemi has vowed to help produce winners in the  future after expressing disappointment in Nigeria’s quest to win the women’s 100m in the just concluded All Africa Games (AAG) in Congo Brazzaville.

    Onyali disclosed this in a chat with SportingLife at the Sheraton Hotels Abuja where she received an award alongside her colleagues Christy Opara-Thompson, Chioma Ajunwa, young and upcoming athlete Ese Brume and others by FABPAN to appreciate Nigerians and especially women who are doing well in sports and also to have a way of playing a part in the development of sports from the grassroots’ level.

    “Honestly I am not happy about Nigeria’s failure to win  the women and men’s 100m at the just concluded All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville. It was a shock to me when I watched the women’s 100m and a Nigerian is not in the top three. It was very disheartening. A lot happened that I can’t say right now.

    “I can assure you that as from this moment I am going to take full charge of the situation. My position as Chairperson Women in sports is to ensure that this failure of Nigerian women athletes to win 100m in the All Africa Games will never happen again. There are plans and programmes to achieve this but I won’t let the cat out for now”, Onyali, a former Special Assistant on Technical Matters to former Director General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye disclosed.

    She also clamoured for equal treatment between men and women in sports and decried a situation when men smile home with better prize packages as compared with women while competing in the same category of sporting events.

    “Being the Chairperson of Women and Sports which was inaugurated this year, I am going to take that charge whole head. Truly all fingers are not equal but when it comes to sports we all sweat the same way and we all bleed the same way and we all feel the pains the same way so we should be treated equally regardless of gender”, Onyali charged.

    She also encouraged women in sports to take education very serious and go for administrative courses so that they can be involved in sports administration too.

  • 2014 IAAF Continental Cup: IAAF appoints Ogba, Onyali to chaperon African teams

    2014 IAAF Continental Cup: IAAF appoints Ogba, Onyali to chaperon African teams

    • As Okagbare, 16 others lead Nigerian contingent

    The  IAAF has appointed the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria(AFN) Solomon Ogba and Olympian, Mary Onyali to chaperon the African team in this year’s IAA Continental Cup slated for Marrakesh, Morocco from September 13 –14.

    Ogba told SportingLife that it was a welcome development to be chosen as the leader of the delegation of the African contingent.

    Meanwhile the four teams competing in the event will be Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. The two-day competition will comprise a programme of 20 track and field events for men and women, giving a total of 40 events. Each team shall enter two athletes in each event, except for relays where one team will compete, with a maximum of one athlete from each country per event. No athlete shall be allowed to double in the 3000 m and 5000m.

    Meanwhile Commonwealth gold medallist, Blessing Okagbare (100m and 4x100m), alongside sixteen others which include: Dominique Duncan (200m and 4x100m),  Folashade Abugan (400m and 4x400m), Amaka Ogoegbunam (400m hurdles) have been chosen after their scintillating performance at the 2014 African Championships which was held in Marrakesh, Morocco.   Other Nigerian athletes whose performances earned them a spot in the Continental Cup are : Gloria Asumnu (4x100m), Patience Okon George (4x400m), Ada Benjamin (4x400m) Ese Brume (Long jump) and  Chinwe Okoro (Shot put and Discus).

    Mark Elliot Jelks (100m, 4x100m) will lead the country’s male athletes in this year’s edition.

    Others are: Tyron Akins (110m hurdles), Cuevas Amaechi Morton (400m hurdles), Ogho-Oghene Egwero (4x100m), Mozavous Edward (4x100m), Obinna Metu (4×100), Tosin Oluwa Oke (triple jump) and Mozia Stephen Ogochucwu (discus).

    Other participants in this year’s continental were eligible to participate through their rankings on IAAF calendar and the 2014 European Championships which was held in Zurich.

  • AFN: We didn’t reject Onyali’s kits

    AFN: We didn’t reject Onyali’s kits

    The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has refuted reports in a section of the media that it rejected the kits produced for Team Nigeria athletes to the just-concluded maiden African Youth Athletics Championships in Warri.

    President of the AFN, Solomon Ogba insisted Monday that he was quoted out of context by the reporters who filed the reports on the kits.

    “There was no time that I granted any interview to any reporter during the championships in Warri that we were not satisfied with the quality of kits supplied Team Nigeria by ex international, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi,” observed the federation president.

    Ogba said that rather, the only mistake he observed in the kits supplied by Onyali-Omagbemi was that there was slight difference in the green colour Nigeria has been known with over the years.

    “I felt that as an ex-international, Onyali ought to know Nigeria’s exact green colour but I was embarrassed to see in the media that I rejected the kits because they are of poor quality. That was sheer mischief on the part of the reporters who filed such reports,” Ogba noted Monday.

    Onyali, who also spoke on the matter, expressed disgust over the reports and she is threatening to seek legal redress.

    “I will not sit back and allow anybody destroy the reputation that I have built over the years. Some persons are just out there to damage my reputation with such cheap blackmail and I, Mary, will not sit back and allow it happen without seeking legal redress,” stressed the former African queen of the track.

    While corroborating the statement by the AFN president that the only snag on the kits supplied Team Nigeria by her firm, Yali Yali, was the colour, Onyali said it was outright mischief for anybody to report that they were of poor quality.

    “I don’t buy my stuff from Aba or Onitsha markets. We get our fabrics straight from China. The manager of my company flew from California to China to get the stuff,” stressed the former Team Nigeria captain.

    The 200m African record holder said that since she went into sportswear manufacturing, “none of my clients has ever doubted the quality of my job. I have my name and integrity to protect. I told the federation that time was short between when we got the order to supply and when to deliver. If my company didn’t get the colour right, all they should have told me was to get the right colour without unnecessarily allowing reporters make an issue out of it.”

     

  • Warri 2013 may set pace in athletics — Onyali

    Warri 2013 may set pace in athletics — Onyali

    Former Africa queen of the tracks and member of the Local Organising Committee for the 1st African Junior Athletics Championships, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi has said Nigeria would strive to successfully host to win.

    “Yes, I want to see us emerge tops at the end of this maiden edition of the championships in the provision of world standard facilities and also be good on the tracks and win well,” she said.

    Onyali who burnt the tracks for many years said the junior athletics championships was dear to her heart as it has given her the opportunity to also discover young talents, just like she was discovered in her prime.

    “Very often, people ask me when the new Onyalis would be discovered and I have always been hesitant in providing a direct answer. I want to say now that the African Junior Athletics Championships will provide the answer because youngsters will be discovered and hopefully they will rule the world in future.”

    She said the programme was dear to her and that has informed the high level of enthusiasm in her. “It is a programme after my heart. I will ensure I play my part and I want to plead with the corporate community to come to the aid of the LOC. We need everybody’s support to make it a success,” she added.