Category: Sports

Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has been awarded the IAAF Bronze Label by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF).

A statement signed by the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon Head of Communications and Media Olukayode Thomas disclosed that among the thousands of races worldwide, only 88 are labeled by IAAF, Access Bank Lagos City Marathon is one of the new additions to the elite club. With this feat, Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has now joined global elite races like New York, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, Dubai, London, Roma, Paris, Berlin, and others.

According to the Project Consultant Olopade:

“We are a global brand today because of Governor Ambode’s vision and foresight, without him there won’t be anything called Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. It is his support that ensured that we got a personality like Norris Williamson, a grade A IAAF/AIMS measurer, who measured the route of Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics Games to measure and certify our route, which ensured that we are a label race before our third edition.’’

Olopade also thanked Access Bank the race sponsor and other sponsors and supporters like 7Up, Bet naija, Eko Hotels, Eko Atlantics, GAC Motors and the staff of the Marathon Office for making this achievement possible.

IAAF label races are races that are designate as leading road races around the world. It was first introduced for the 2008 race. The conditions for the award of IAAF label are stringent they include but not limited to an international elite field, the race course closed to vehicular traffic, route measured to the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) standard, use of electronic timing to generate the results, a specified number of doping tests, equal prize money for the participants and others.

Stanley Eribo (also known as “Edo Boy”) has retained his African Boxing Union, ABU welterweight title by defeating Tanzania’s Ramadhani Shauri via a unanimous decision at GOtv Boxing Night 12.

Stanley Eribo also won ₦2.5 million attached to the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Prize for the best boxer of the night.

Continue reading Stanley Eribo Retains 2017 ABU Welterweight Title

Sunday Oliseh continues to set and break records with his Dutch club, Fortuna Sittard as the team triumphed with its biggest away win since it was founded almost 50 years ago.

The win was recorded against Telstar away from home 6-0.

According to the former Super Eagles Coach:

“Join me in praising God for his blessings and Mercies… Experienced my most emphatic professional away win as coach 0-6 vs. erstwhile unbeaten Telstar @FortunaSittard yesterday. Though my players, coaching staff and fans gave their all, God’s handprints were everywhere to see on this record-breaking victory. This is Fortuna Sittard’s highest scoring away victory in its history.”

A few weeks back, Sunday Oliseh became the first coach ever, in the history of Fortuna Sittard to win 6 consecutive home games.

The former Nigeria captain has now extended that to eight consecutive wins.

With this latest 6-0 win recorded on Friday, Fortuna Sittard have moved up to second place with 16 points from seven games, one point adrift of leaders Jong Ajax who beat FC Oss 3-0 away from home.

Fortuna Sittard will face NEC at home in their next game on the 6th of October.

Nigeria has won the fourth Refugees World Cup for the second time in São Paulo, Brazil defeating Morocco 9-4.

The annual knock-out tournament, in which 16 teams took part, kicked off in the Brazilian city on 16 September and was played on three days over a nine-day period at three locations.

Brazil has opened its doors to refugees from all countries, and football has become the universal language that brings them together.

The competition, organized by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), in partnership with the non-governmental organizations África do Coração, Cáritas São Paulo and SESC-SP, brought together some 250 players recruited from among Brazil’s refugee community. They played in their home countries’ national colours.

Brazil hosts more than 9,500 refugees from 82 countries. The Refugees World Cup is designed to help them integrate into their new country.

According to Syria’s coach, Abdulbaset Jarour:

“The Cup is all about integration. It’s about uniting people, no matter their race or religion. We want to show Brazilians we are good people.”

According to Maria Beatriz Nogueira, head of the UNHCR office in São Paulo:

“Brazil is known as football country. But we want to show that there are a lot of other football countries too. This is a gesture to Brazil from the refugees they’ve welcomed to show that they want to integrate and that they really do speak the same language.”

Marylove Edwards, wins her first trophy on U.S. soil by defeating her opponents to win the USTA Celsius Level 6 girls’ 14 & Under tournament.

This she achieved barely 20 days after moving to the world-renowned, IMG Tennis Academy founded by veteran tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri, in Bradenton, Florida.

She defeated her opponent, Nina Sidhu, in two straight sets with an emphatic 6-0, 6-1 win to claim the trophy.

The final was the climax of a competition she dominated winning all her matches convincingly in two sets apiece.

On the way to the final, Marylove Edwards defeated Anastasiia Pestereva in the round of sixteen in two straight sets of 6-3, 6-2. She followed up on her remarkable form beating Nicole Ciemark in a 6-0, 6-1 in the quarterfinal before ensuring her place in the final with a 6-2, 6-0 defeat of Stella Rundova.

With support from her Lagos-based pan-African talent agency, Temple Management Company, TMC, the twelve-year-old has been on a roll.

The organisation focuses on harnessing and marketing creatively endowed individuals and has been propelling the career of the Nigerian sensation.

On close observation, IMG founder, Bolletieri, singled out Marylove for her unique double-fisted style. His words:

“Now this young girl is very different: super athlete. Very handy. Only a few can get away with that style.”

Committed to her development, TMC was able to secure financing to help the starlet return to IMG Academy to begin a full academic session in September at the prestigious tennis intuition which has produced the likes of the Serena and Venus Williams, Andre Agassi and Monica Seles among others.

Marylove Edwards expressed her excitement at her new achievement:

“I have been training very hard since I started at IMG and was so happy to win my first trophy.”

Rasaq Tanimowo wins a gold medal at the 2017 AAU Weightlifting Championship held in Las Vegas, USA.

Tanimowo representing West coast weightlifting with clean and Jerk 130 kg and Snatch 100 kg retained the title won last year.

He pledged total allegiance to Nigeria promising to always respond to call up from his fatherland.

The All Africa Games silver medalist said:

“I’m happy after leaving the shores of the country, I’ve been able to participate in 4 weightlifting Championship and earned an international call last September.

I would have featured in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia but could not due to reasons beyond my control. I promise to always heed to the call of Nigeria at any point.”

Rasaq Tanimowo in 2016 set a new record in his weight class 56 kg at the championship with clean and Jerk 132 kg and Snatch 95 kg.