THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com
Thursday, April 17, 2014 SPORTS
Maurice Greene drills Team Nigeria athletes in California
Midwestern Oil, Gas Junior Tennis Championship debuts May 12 NEW national tennis chamA pionship, the Midwestern Oil & Gas Junior Tennis
• Okagbare is team captain, as ST SAC Relays begin By Gowon Akpodonor EWLY appointed relay coorN dinator of Team Nigeria track and field athletes, former Olympics and world champion, Maurice Greene, performed his first duty yesterday when he led Nigerian athletes in training in preparation for the Mt. Sac Relays, which begins today in California, USA. Greene, who won four Olympic medals and five world championship titles between 1997 and 2004, was appointed by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) last week to take charge of the country’s relay teams for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, as well as the African Athletics Championships holding in Marrakesh, Morocco in August. His contract with Nigeria will officially begin at the Mt. Sac Relay in California. The Guardian gathered yesterday that the presence of Greene aroused great excitement in Nigerian athletes and their officials, who are already in Walnut, California, waiting for today’s flag off of the ST SAC Relays. The meet starts this afternoon with Nigeria’s best athletes participating. The team has sprinter and long jumper, Blessing Okagbare, as captain. Okagbare, a double world championship medalist, is likely to compete in the individual event and also anchor the 4x100m women relay team. Gloria Asumnu, who made the
final of the 60m at the Sopot 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, is also in the team. Obinna Metu, who won the 100m over the weekend at the Abuja Golden League, is also in Walnut. Also in the team is Amaechi Morton, whose blistering anchor ensured the Nigeria 4x400m quartet set a new Africa record at the Sopot 2014 World Indoor. There is also Regina George, a quarter-miler, Nicholas Imhoapermhe, Chukwudike Harry and Noah Akwu. Others are Abiola Onakoya, Isah Salihu, Orukpe Erayoka, Stephanie Kalu, Khadijah Suleiman, Peace Uko, Omolara Omotosho, Bukola Abogunloko, Folashade Abugan, Josephine Ehigie, Benjamin Ada and Ossai Rita. In the coaching crew are Daniel Etsebiminor, Eric Campbell, Gabriel Okon, Victor Omagbemi, and Maurice Greene. The AFN President, Solomon Ogba and Secretary General, Olumide Bamiduro, are also in the team. Ogba left Lagos for Walnut, California, yesterday after a hectic time sourcing for funds to take care of the contingent. He told The Guardian shortly before departure that participating in Mt. Sac Relays and other meets across America is to get the athletes ready for the IAAF World Relays in Bahamas next month and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 3).
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Stephanie Kalu is one of the athletes training with Maurice Greene for Mt. Sac Relays, which begins today in California, US.
Africa’s future stars converge for Milo U-13 Championship in Lagos HE continent’s future footT ball stars will from May 29 converge in Lagos for the third biennial Milo U-13 African Championships to be hosted by Nigeria. Besides host, Nigeria, other participating nations include defending champion, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The tournament, bankrolled by Nestle Nigeria Plc, will hold at the Campos Square Mini Stadium in Lagos Island with the final scheduled for May 31. Speaking during a press briefing to unveil the programme for the competition, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nestle Nigeria Plc, Dharnesh Gordhon, said the
company was focused on using sports to develop the champion spirit in children across the country. “We firmly believe that sports is a wonderful platform for our youths to learn important values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect, adherence to rules, discipline, perseverance, resilience and a strong sense of purpose,” he said. He added: “Dealing with competition, coping with winning and losing, building courage and striving towards sports equips young people with important soft skills that are not easily learnt in classroom.” Also speaking at the event,
Category Business Manager, Beverages, Doja Ekeruche, said the tournament is a biennial among Nestle Milo countries in Africa with the aim of building the continent’s favourite sport, football. She added that the competition also encourages children to be in school and benefit from opportunities that will enhance their lives in future. Unveiling the itinerary for the competition, Ekeruche said the teams would be presented to the public during a gala dinner scheduled for May 29 at the Intercontinental Hotels in Lagos, while the draws would also hold same day at the venue.
Championship, has been added to the Nigerian tennis calendar with the inaugural event scheduled for May 12 to May 18 at the prestigious Lagos Lawn Tennis Club. The championship, which is part of the ITA Junior Tennis Circuit run by the International Tennis Academy will feature boys and girls singles events in four age groups - 10s, 12s, 14s and 16s. Speaking on the championship, president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Sani Ndanusa commended Midwestern Oil & Gas for the sponsorship, emphasising that, “the sponsorship will go a long way to consolidate the focus on junior tennis development as means of laying the right foundation for producing world class players in the future.” The managing director of Midwestern Oil & Gas, Adams Okoene, who was guest of honour at the last CBN Junior Tennis championship in February said: “We are happy to contribute our quota to the various efforts to engage and empower our youths and sports is a truly veritable tool to accomplish that.” The tournament has been scheduled to run alongside the CBN Senior National Championship with the Midwestern finals coming up a day after the CBN finals. Ndanusa, who is also the president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, said “both tournaments running side by side will give the young kids an opportunity to see the standard at the senior level and aspire to attain and surpass that in record time.” He added: “It is an experiment and we shall like to see the impact on the young boys and girls, some of whom might participate in the preliminaries of the senior event.”
Peak explains support for Eagles’ World Cup campaign UBLIC and Regulatory P Affairs Manager, FrieslandCampina WAMCO
Oyo and Cross River states fighting for points during a recent Milo Under-13 Football Championship.... Team Kwara is representing Nigeria at the 2014 African Under-13 Championship slated for Lagos.
Nigeria plc, Ore Famurewa, has explained that Peak brand of milk is supporting the Super Eagles preparation and campaign at the Brazil 2014
World Cup because it knows that such backing would help the team to exceed expectations at the Mundial Coupe. Speaking during the launch of a campaign to galvanize support for the team tagged ‘World Class Nutrition, World
Class Team,’ Famurewa said the programme would ensure that the Super Eagles did not lack the much required nutrient to execute their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign in Brazil in June. He added that the launch for
Heineken picks ‘Lucky’ winners for UEFA Champions League final excitement galore at IlastTthewas Heineken House Lagos Wednesday when two of the final five lucky consumers, who will watch the UEFA Champions League final, emerged. They will enjoy an all expense paid trip to the Stadium of Light in Lisbon Portugal courtesy of Heineken the international premium lager beer. At half time and with emotions at boiling point at the Allianz Arena in Munich during the epic Bayern Munich – Manchester United clash, as well as in the Estadio Vincent Calderon mastery display of in-form Atletico Madrid’s crushing of FC Barcelona, guests and consumers at the Heineken House Lagos witnessed the transparent draw c e r e m o n y .
Conducted by the Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Nicolaas A. Vervelde, there was palpable tension in the jammed packed arena, when the first of the two winners of the night was announced. Jayne Nelson Uzuegbu, a banker and Manchester United fan, was the first winner out of the 790 participants of the Heineken ‘Match Your Half Ticket’ promotion in Lagos. However, with repeated calls and nobody in sight to claim the winning ticket and few seconds left for ticket to be voided for a repeat of the draw, a charming lady emerged from the Football Arena Room on the upper lounge with her raffle ticket to ‘match’ the winning ticket.
Expedition to Lisbon...the Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Nicolaas A. Vervelde (second right) and other participants celebrating with the two lucky winners of the trip to watch the UEFA Champions League final… last week.
the campaign was necessitated by their belief that Super Eagles require super nutrition to support their performance at the World Cup. “The association between football and the brand, Peak, shows its continuous support top enhancing the body and mind performance of Nigerians; encouraging them to believe in themselves. Peak has confidence that this campaign will inspire a winning spirit inn the Super Eagles and Nigerians. “The campaign runs on various platforms: TV Commercial, Radio &Outdoor and features Stephen Keshi, Head coach o0f the Super Eagles is rated the 27th best national coach in the world and fifth best in Africa; He is also the 2013 Glo-CAF Coach of the Year and the second individual from Africa Nations Cup as a player and as a coach,” he said. The occasion was also used to flag off a consumer promo, ‘Win with the Super Eagles,’ which, he said, is part of the company’s support to create excitement for the national football team, as they compete in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.