Category: Sports

Team Ground Training Command (GTC) has emerged the overall champion of the third edition of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF Inter-Command Combat Sports Competition.

The NAF Inter-Command Combat Sports Competition, which featured 7 teams, commenced on 3 April 2018 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Team GTC was able to edge out the 6 other teams drawn from the 5 remaining NAF Commands and the Headquarters NAF (HQ NAF) in a keenly contested competition.

The winner got [6 gold and one silver medals]. Team Logistics Command (LC), which came second, had 5 gold medals, 6 silver medals and 9 bronze medals while team Tactical Air Command (TAC) came third with 5 gold medals, 6 silver medals and 3 bronze medals. The fourth, fifth and sixth positions went to HQ NAF, Air Training Command (ATC) and Special Operations Command (SOC) respectively. Team Mobility Command (MC) came seventh with 2 silver medals and 7 bronze medals.

As part of events to mark the end of the games, an invitational Combat Relay Race was held. Out of the 3 security agencies that participated, the Nigerian Army (NA) Team carted away the gold medal while the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigerian Police came 2nd and 3rd respectively.

In addition, the final round of the Tug of War competition held between Team LC and Team SOC with the former winning. Thereafter, trophies and medals were presented to winners while the Combat Sports Flag, which signified the end of the 2018 Edition of the NAF Inter-Command Combat Sports Competition, was lowered.

At the closing ceremony, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State congratulated the champions for distinguishing themselves at the competition and donated 2 million Naira to GTC. He also congratulated all participants for their painstaking efforts during the games.

The Inter-Command Combat Sports Competition, which was introduced into the NAF three years ago, has become an annual regimental sporting event, aimed at continually promoting combat fitness and esprit-de-corps among Service personnel.

The competition was also aimed at enhancing effective service delivery, which can only be achieved when personnel are physically and mentally fit.

The event, which was tagged “Uyo 2018”, featured over 600 participants who competed in 8 various games.

Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteghonor with an impressive finish of 22.04 seconds in her 200m race at the Wes Kittley Invitational Track and Field Meet at the Abilene Christian University, has erased the 22-year-old previous African record of 22.07 seconds set by Mary Onyali at a Meet in Switzerland in 1996.

Apart from becoming the new African record in the race which Cierra White followed in second place in 23.26 seconds, while Natasha McDonald settled for third in 24.23 seconds, Okagbare’s winning time also became the new national record in the women’s 200m.

Okagbare’s previous personal best in the event, was 22.23 seconds was set at the 2014 Eugene Diamond League.

Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteghonor now holds the Nigerian women’s records in the 100m (10.79 seconds) and 200m (22.04 seconds).

With this new form, it is going to be difficult for the Delta-born sprinter to avoid defending the double sprint medals she won at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland four years ago.

The Wes Kittley Invitational was Blessing’s first competition of the season with her focus now on the 4x100m relay scheduled to hold in Gold Coast, Australia between April 4 and 15.

The 26-year-old is one of the 37 athletes listed by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria to participate at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, which begins on April 4.

Emmanuel Chuwang, an amateur cyclist in Jos, ran 9.6 kilometers in 14 minutes to emerge winner of the 2018 NASCO Cycling Awareness competition, which took off from Old Airport Junction, Jos and terminated at New Zaria Road Stadium.

The Cycling Awareness competition is sponsored by NASCO Group Nigeria Ltd.

On his victory, Emmanuel Chuwang declared:

“God is the giver of strength of mind and body; I dedicate this victory to him.”

Victor Lapang, Plateau Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, said that the state government was passionate about promoting sports because it was crucial to peace, progress and development.

In the words of Victor Lapang:

“We are going to look into hockey, basketball, cycling and many other sports.

Cycling has been known as a major form of exercise; I am really delighted to see the kind of people who have come out because they constitute of both the old and the young.

For the young ones, you can aspire to take it as a profession and work hard for a better future ahead.

For the old ones, we cannot over emphasize the issue of body fitness. If you keep doing this, you can live a longer life.”

The commissioner commended NASCO group of companies for proving to be pacesetters by sponsorship the programme, and urged other multinational corporations in the state to emulate that.

Lapang also lauded Plateau Amateur Cycling Association, for partnering with NASCO to ensure the success of the competition.

Haroun Audu, NASCO Group’s Marketing Communication Advisor, said that the cycling awareness campaign was aimed at reviving and strengthening public interest and participation in cycling.

In the words of Haroun Audu:

“This effort by NASCO Group signals a deliberate intervention to support committed amateur cyclists in Plateau.”

Ablaze FC of Lagos has emerged winners of the FC Bayern Youth Cup Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Sporting Dreams of Abuja in a tightly contested final played in Abuja.

The final zonal tournament of FC Bayern Youth Cup Nigeria, which held in Lagos in February, had 8 teams namely Bethel FC, Mission Soccer Academy, Ablaze Academy, Lekki Junior Striker, the Future Academy, Esperanza FC, Leo Football Academy and Young Stars, competing for Lagos. Winners here proceeded to Abuja to battle it out for the National Finals, in which emerged Ablaze FC as winners.

Chisom Chikatara has won the 2018 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Super Cup title with his Moroccan club side Wydad Casablanca.

Chisom Chikatara who plays as a forward was in action for 63 minutes before he was substituted for Gabriel Quintana, as Wydad Casablanca defeated Congolese side Tout Puissant (TP) Mazembe 1–0 to win the 2018 CAF Super Cup.

The CAF Super Cup features the winners of the CAF Confederation Cup, and CAF Champions League winners in a one-off game.

Chikitara was part of the Wydad Casbalanca side that defeated Al Ahly SC to win the CAF Champions League and he made a return from injury to feature in the Super Cup clash.

After the withdrawal of Chikitara, Wydad Casabalanca broke the deadlock through Amin Thigazaoui in the 83rd minute, which turned out to be the only goal of the encounter.

Wydad Casabalanca earned $100,000 for their victory while TP Mazembe were rewarded with $75,000.

President of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), Margaret Binga has won the Best Female Referee Award at the 2018 World Taekwondo G-2 Egypt Open in Cairo, Egypt.

The former two-time African Champion was invited to officiate at the high-level event, which would earn her top ranking points, and improve her quest towards being promoted to a Grade-1 ranked International Referee.

Presenting the award to Margaret Binga was the President of the African Taekwondo Union, General Ahmed Fouly, who praised the work ethic and achievements of Binga.

In the words of General Ahmed Fouly:

“It is amazing that Binga still finds the time to perform her international referee duties and at the same time shepherd such a high level of taekwondo activities back in Nigeria. We are keenly following the flurry of activities in Nigeria and it is very commendable.

Her performance as a referee at this event is only a testament to her constant drive to achieve excellence while working hard.”

Thanking the tournament organizers, coaches and referees for voting her as the best Referee, Margaret Binga said:

“Nigeria has good referees but we would want to step up their training so more of us can take our place on the world stage. This would require a lot of work and I hope that awards like this can motivate us more towards this aim.

The award will be a boost to as the Federation has set a target to target 100 new referees before the end of the four-year tenure of the present board.

The last NTF National Referee Course in December had more than 35 participants, and the Federation will be looking to conduct more National Referee Seminars across the six geo-political zones as the year runs out.”

The World Taekwondo G-2 ranked Egypt Opens had 287 competing athletes from 37 countries in attendance.