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September 16, 2012 e-mail:erniestar@yahoo.com
SundaySUN Sports True confession
I went to Olympics Katsina agog! with only one boxer T
…As 2012 MTN Int’l Polo takes centre stage
By MADUABUCHI KALU he last Olympics in London could pass as the worst outing for Nigeria since she gained independence from Britain in 1960. The country won, not even a single medal at the 2012 Summer Games despite participating in many sporting events. Boxing, which used to be one of the country’s strength in the past did not fare better either, as the most Nigeria could attain in that event was the quarterfinal ouster of the only female boxer in the country’s contingent. Meanwhile, the Nigerian boxing team, made up of three boxers, it has been revealed, were reduced to only a boxer during the actual competition. Sunday Sunsports got this much from the Secretary of Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF), Dr Patrick Uwagbale in a recent chat in his office, while throwing light on what transpired at the Olympics that ended last month. Dr Uwagbale, however, assured that effort would be made to ensure that Nigeria would not be disgraced in future international sports events. Meanwhile, the Edo State-born sports administrator was full of praises for the only female boxer in the team for her exploits, even as he declared that he knew that there was no way the boxer would have won gold at the Games since she was not ranked by the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA), just like no Nigerian boxer is ranked by the body. It might sound unbelievable, but for coming from the horse’s mouth, there is no reason anybody should doubt the authenticity of the fact that Nigeria went to the Olympics in London with an injured boxer. “I can’t deny that fact, it’s true that we went to London with an injured boxer and the second one, probably because of lack of exposure, developed emergency high blood pressure when his event was about to commence. His blood pressure shot up to 180/100 and somebody in that health condition couldn’t have entered the ring for a fight. I believe that it was fear and inferiority complex that caused his sickness,” Dr Uwagbale stated. “With two of our boxers out of the contest, it was only Edith Ogeke that was left out
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of the three, and she did very well. I must confess that she performed beyond my expectations. She fought up to the quarterfinals, which was a no mean feat for a first timer. “Ogeke beat world No. 2. At a point, people were asking about where she came from considering the fact that she is not rated by AIBA just like every other Nigerian boxer. So, even if Ogeke had beaten every boxer at the Olympics black and blue, no judge would have declared her the winner because, as far as AIBA is concerned, she is an outside. “That was exactly what happened to Chika Chukwumerije in Beijing in 2008. Chukwumerije was openly robbed in Beijing because he wanted to unsettle the system, which the organisers would never allow to happen.” The boxing administrator continued: “Another major problem we have in the country is lack of training facilities for our athletes. There is no standard gym in the country, no camp, except the one in
– Uwagbale Benin, which is poorly equipped. So, we have many factors to address if we truly
want to reposition boxing in Nigeria,” Dr Uwagbale explained.
•Uwagbale
he ancient kingdom of Katsina is awash with excitement of the 2012 Katsina International Polo Tournament, which got underway yesterday with telecommunications giant, MTN, leading the way as big names in Nigerian polo vie for honours in the annual festival. As the first tournament of the Nigerian polo season, the Katsina outing is clearly one of the biggest annual events in the country, which has continually attracted the biggest crowd ever, even as it has remained a must-attend for all the top teams in the country. The event, which galloped off in grand style at the legendary Usman Nagogo Polo Ground in Katsina, seems to be the most competitive and the most exciting in years with the traditional backing of MTN Nigeria. Revered as the ‘Home of Nigerian Polo’, Katsina 2012 attracted a record line up of popular Nigerian polo teams and players, whose show of talents and skills complemented the participation of renowned international players from Europe, Argentina and South Africa. A record of about 35 teams, an unprecedented number of 500 thoroughbred horses and over 200 battle ready players were confirmed for the fiesta. According to the Katsina Polo captain, Prince Umar Kabir-Usman, over 20 teams of different categories were competing for top honours in the 10-day extravaganza. The teams came from Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Bauchi, Minna, Jos, Yola, Port
Egbunike, Onyali to partner Team Anambra By OJIEVA EHIOSUN nambra State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Dr Edozie Okay Aroh, has revealed that the duo of Innocent Egbunike and Mary Onyali, with other sports professionals in the state, would partner Team Anambra at the Eko 2012 National Sports Festival slated for November. The renowned banker turned sports administrator, stated this while inaugurating a 13-man Main Organising Committee (MOC) for the Eko 2012 at the Government House in Awka, Anambra State. The commissioner maintained that the Sports Ministry was fully ready to rewrite Anambra State history in Lagos in November this year. His words: “We have discovered in recent times that Anambra State has had dwindling and series of poor performances in major sports competitions in the country and we are not happy about it. So,
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now that we have people who are totally committed to the development of sports in the state, we are ready to turn things around for good. “We are not only going to Lagos to harvest medals, but we are going there with the mind set of rewriting the sports history of Anambra State and as well, take the state back to its premier position in Nigerian sports.” On the state’s decision to seek the services of key Nigerian Olympians, he added: “We appreciate the contributions of some Nigerian professionals in developing sports in the country. The like of Innocent Egbunike, Mary Onyali, Chioma Ajunwa, the late Sunday Bada to mention a few, did the nation proud through their individual efforts. So, our decision to partner with them was based on their track records in sports. “Don’t forget, Egbunike and Onyali are indigenes of Anambra State. We believe in them and feel that they still have a lot to offer us. Their
presence in our camp, we believe, will ginger our athletes to go for laurels at the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Lagos. Make no mistake about it, Team Anambra State is out to break the age-long jinx and shake off the underachiever status that has trailed the state in recent times in sports outings,” he said. As part of the build up for the National Sports Festival, Anambra State has fixed September 25 - 28 for its own sports festival aimed at fishing out raw talents that would be prepared for the forthcoming
•Onyali
sports fiesta in Lagos. “To show our total commitment to the development of sports in the state, we have fixed our own state sports festival for September 25 - 28. We intend to use the event to fish out talents and give them the necessary training they might require so that they can be useful to themselves, the state, and the society. World over, the people that excel in various sporting events are children from poor homes. So, we want to use sports as a vanguard to take our youths out of the streets and keep them off crimes.
•Egbunike
Harcourt and Sokoto, which would be playing its first Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF) after it had made several attempts at reviving the game in the ‘Seat of the Caliphate’. According to Dahiru Bagiwa, Katsina as host, fielded teams for all the major prizes at stake in the rumble that would be decided over eight days of top-flight games. “The expectations are very high this year because we are fully prepared for the challenges ahead. All our teams would be well mounted for the battle royal, which would pit top rivals in a winnertakes-all warfare,” he said few days before the tournament kicked off. “There are plenty of reasons to play for in Katsina. Apart from the fact that it sets you off for the rest of the season, its ambience and the history behind it makes it a mustwin for any serious polo player or team, and Katsina teams will take everything on their stride to ensure a good take off this season,” he added. “The facts are there that the Katsina event has always been competitive. But we are no strangers to high profile competitors, particularly from Kaduna, Abuja and Bauchi. My only advice to them is that they should come fully prepared and fight till the last ounce of their blood because the home teams are in killer mood,” he warned. The combatants in the high stake Katsina polo rumble will include Mohammed Babangida’s Kaduna Profile, Hadi Sirika’s Abuja Rubicon, Abubakar Kari’s Bauchi Kari, Hon. Aliyu Wadada’s Keffi Ponys and Dawule Baba’s DeeBee Farms, which is the defending champion. The ancient kingdom boasts a number of medium and low goal teams like Katsina Kangiwa, Katsina Max Air, Katsina Gobarau, Katsina Danmasani, Katsina Masanawa, Yar’Adua’s Hajara Farms, Sani Stores’ Katsina Tarno and lately, Katsina IT Sec, among others. On the road, one or two of the Katsina teams are usually enough to work up the crowd before their teeming fans at the legendary Nagogo Ground, where they play with the full compliments of their resource, they let the sparks fly all over the ground all too easily. Over the years, Katsina players may have created such an intimidating reputation, but the top prizes won’t necessarily follow them home. Quite often, they do get as much as they give, especially from Kaduna, Abuja, Yola, Bauchi and now, Zaria, which is firing on all cylinders.