Category: Sports

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.

Shell Nigeria emerged the overall winners of the 17th Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games (NOGIG) at the Main Bowl of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Shell Nigeria won 11 gold, 12 silver and 11 bronze medals at the Games. NNPC finished second with 9 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze medals, while the third place went to Chevron amassing 8 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals.

South-South Zone of Nigeria has emerged the overall winners at the fourth edition of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) national games tagged “Doctors’ Games” held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

South-South Zone in the first position had 17 gold, three silver and seven bronze medals.

North-Central Zone in the second position had three gold, one silver, four bronze medals, while North-West finished third with three gold and one bronze.

Hosts Ogun State were fifth with two gold, six silver and nine bronze.

For emerging as overall winners, South-South have now won every edition of the NMA national games (2014, 2016, 2017).

South-South Zone capped an eventful participation with a 4-1 win against South-East Zone in the football event in the closing ceremony.

This year’s edition which kicked off on 21 February, had doctors representing South-South, South-East, hosts Ogun, Lagos, North-Central, North-West all participating.

Participants competed in football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, scrabble, draught and chess.

The fourth edition of the NMA national games was supported by Mega Lifesciences Nigeria Limited.

Jeremiah Ikoko of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has emerged the winner of the 6th Ships & Ports Table Tennis Championship.

The Championship, which holds annually and was sponsored by Dangote Ports Operations and the Nigerian Shippers Council, took place at the Apapa Club in Lagos.

Declaring the 6th Ships & Ports Table Tennis Championship open, the Chief Executive Officer of Ships & Ports, Bolaji Akinola, said the Championship was instituted to promote healthy interaction among maritime industry workers.

Sixty participants drawn from the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NIMASA, Tin Can Island Container Terminal, Lagos Channel Management, Dangote Port Operations, Bollore Shipping, ENL Consortium and the Maritime Microfinance Bank, among others, took part in the championship.

Two employees of the NPA, Kehinde Borokini, a four-time winner of the championship and Phillip Amebe; Jeremiah Ikoko of NIMASA and defending champion Sunday Otaru (Bollore Logistics), beat all other contestants to qualify for the semi-final stage.

Jeremiah Ikoko emerged winner after an explosive match against Amebe, to win the cash prize of ₦100,000. Second-place Amebe received ₦50,000, while Otaru, who defeated Borokini in the third-place tie, won ₦30,000.

In the words of Ikoko:

“I appreciate Ships & Ports for organising this event; it is a welcome development. This is the second time I am participating. Last year the players were fewer; we were not up to 30.

The standard of play has also improved. I believe this championship will go further in the next two years.”

Nigeria and Jordan have emerged overall winners of the 2018 Fazza World Para Powerlifting World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Nigeria and Jordan finished top of the medals table with four golds. Nigeria won two golds each in both the women and men categories. Ukraine won two golds and two silvers to finish in third position. Hosts United Arab Emirates ended fourth with two golds and one bronze.

Nigeria’s reigning Paralympic and world champion Paul Kehinde sets a new world record in the men’s 65 kg category at the 2018 Fazza World Para Powerlifting World Cup. The 29-year-old lifted 221 kg to break the previous record of 220.5 kg he set at the 2017 World Para Powerlifting Championships in Mexico in November.

In his words:

“I’m very happy with my performance. I put God first in everything I do and I believe that is why I have been achieving these results.

Coach Are and his wife also motivate me a lot. The coach is always telling us to believe in ourselves and that we can achieve anything despite our status. His words have always kept us going even when things are tough. Whatever I achieve, I owe to God, my teammates, coaches and Nigeria.”

Furthermore, Folashade Oluwafeniayo broke the world record in the women’s up to 86 kg. The 32-year-old cleared the bar at 146 kg, a 1 kg increase from the mark she had set last year on her way to gold at the Mexico City 2017 World Championships.

Nigeria’s winning details (gold medals), participants and results at the competition are as follows:

1. Senior – Men’s Up to 49.00 kg: EZURUIKE Roland (192)
2. Senior – Men’s Up to 65.00 kg: KEHINDE Paul Olumide (221)
3. Senior – Women’s Up to 55.00 kg: OYEMA Esther (125)
4. Senior – Women’s Up to 86.00 kg: OLUWAFENIAYO Folashade (146)

Over 128 powerlifters from 30 countries competed at the competition.

Winners have emerged at the 1st Aiteo Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) awards held in Lagos.

In attendance were FIFA President, Gianni Infantino and his CAF counterpart Ahmad Ahmad, Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and Francis Peters, the Deputy Managing Director, Aiteo Group.

Others were ex-internationals, Samson Siasia, Christian Chukwu, Wilson Oruma, Femi Opabunmi, Mutiu Adepoju, Segun Odegbami, Daniel Amokachi, Mutiu Adepoju, Uche Okechukwu, Garba Lawal, Austin Okocha, Austine Eguaveon, among others.

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