THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 10, 2016
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GLOBAL SOCCER\\OTHER SPORTS
L-R:Head of Marketing, Promasidor Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Festus Tettey,Torisheju Tosin, Enrico Vander Merwe and Toki Popoola, Top 3 winners of 50metres category all from Chrisland Schools, and the Category Manager, Dairy, Promasidor Nigeria, Mr. Ayodeji Abiodun, during the Loya Milk swimming competition for Secondary Schools in Lagos at the Grange School, Harold Shodipo Crescent, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos
Shahin Nouri
Dalung Charges Private Sector on Sports Development The Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has called on the private sector to invest in grassroots sports development. Dalung gave the charge at the 5th annual Sports Summit and Games of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in conjunction with the Nigeria Olympic Committee held at the Redeemer's Camp ground along the Lagos Ibadan expressway. Represented by his Special
Assistant on media, Nneka Anibeze, Dalung, who spoke on the topic "Transforming Potential Athletes to Olympic Stars: Challenges and Solution-The Global, African and Nigerian perspectives, said the private sector including churches holds the key to sports development and charged them to go down to the grassroots to invest in sports. More so when some of the private sectors already have modern-day facilities that
can transform an upcoming talents into a world and Olympic champion just the way the Redeemed Church did by sponsoring a wrestler, Odunayo Adekoroye, an Olympic star, who was the first athlete to qualify and represented Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The minister commended Pastor Eunoch Adeboye for his good works and reasoned that his ministry can continue to build on such partnership
where churches will invest in youths at the grassroots. Responding, Pastor Adeboye, who was represented by the Redeemed Assistant General Overseer, Funsho Otegbola, said it has been discovered that any country's future success in sports at the highest level is absolutely to be determined by the ability of its sports scientists to go down to the grassroots to identify those athletes with special sporting talents.
Loya Milk Promotes Secondary Schools Swimming In a bid to encourage swimming amongst Secondary School students in Nigeria, Loya Milk, last Saturday, organised a swimming competition dubbed "Loya Swim Meet" for Secondary Schools in Lagos State. Cash prizes of over N1 million, and other consolation prizes were given to participants. The competition which was sponsored by Promasidor Nigeria Limited held at the Grange School, Harold Shodipo, Ikeja, GRA, Lagos
had 10 Secondary Schools in attendance with five boys and five girls each participating in the three categories of 25 metres freestyle, 50 metres freestyle and 100 metres freestyle relay respectively. Speaking at the event, the Category Manager, Dairy, Promasidor Nigeria, Abiodun Ayodeji, said, “Loya Milk is fortified with 50 per cent more calcium which helps in building stronger bone, tougher teeth and a healthy heart”. Abiodun added, "we are
aware that swimming is a 360-degrees’ sport that involves all parts of your body, and it helps to maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart, control your muscle and above all, a fun exercise for growing children." The schools that participated in the competition were Dowen College, Chrisland College, Greensprings School, Halifield Schools, ST&T Regency international school, Supreme Education Foundation, Queensland Academy, Grace High School,
Avi-cenna International and Honeyland College. Commenting on the event, Mr. F.J Vander Merwe, one of the principals of Chrisland Schools, who emerged winner in the 50 metres swimming competition for boys, said "l think it is a wonderful incentive for our students, and we would definitely maintain our performance in subsequent competition. We commend Loya Milk for this laudable initiative and would urge other organisations to emulate this."
GOtv Boxing Night 10
Edo Boy will See Hell, Tanzanian Opponent Boasts
Tanzania’s Meshack Mwankemwa, opponent to Nigeria’s Stanley “Edo Boy” Eribo in the African Boxing Union welterweight title bout billed to hold at GOtv Boxing Night 10 on 26 December, has threatened to make the Nigerian see hell. Smart Boy also boasted that the crowd at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, will chant his name when he begins to punish Edo Boy. Speaking from his country,
the Tanzanian Professional Boxing Commission welterweight champion said he is fully prepared for the fight and Edo Boy will feel the full impact of his training schedule. “I am coming to win in Nigeria. The East African region is a place that boxing is alive. A Ugandan won in Nigeria last year. I will repeat the trick. Edo Boy is not in my class. I have defeated better boxers. He is just a stepping stone to something bigger. He
will be beaten without me expending energy,” bragged Smart Boy. Another Nigerian involved in a title contest is Olaide Fijabi, who takes on Raphael Kwabena of Ghana in a reprise of their close-run encounter at GOtv Boxing Night 9, when Fijabi won via a split decision. The Ghanaian is already boasting that he will see Fijabi off when they meet in the West African Boxing Union light welterweight title fight.
“You saw the last fight and I restrained him very well. I had seen him fight so many times and that gave me the advantage, which I intend to deploy this time to put him in his place: on the canvass. He will kiss the canvas in the third round,” Kwabena boasted. Also in the same division, the highly rated Rilwan Babatunde will face Sikiru Shogbesan in a challenge duel.
EL Marino Team Manager Pledges Better Activities at NFSC The Team Manager of El Marino Sports Club, Lagos, Otunba Seyi Adefarati, has assured sports enthusiasts that he would improve the level of activities at the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) if elected the vice chairman of the club in the election which would take place today at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Adefarati, who has been at the forefront of promoting sports in the country, with improved sporting activities at
El Marino Sports Club, said he was fit for that position and strongly believed he would be elected because of his immense contribution to the NFSC, as he has spent lot of time and money in sponsoring activities of the organisation. He stated that as the team manager of his club, he would reach out to more people and with the considerable impact made so far in enhancing sporting activities for both adults and youths, he is qualified for the position of the vice chairman
of NFSC. ‘There are lots of supports we can give to the NFSC through El Marino. I am a man of the people, and lots of people have been sponsored by El Marino in one area of sport or another, and with that, l believe l will win,’ Adefarati stated. He added, "l have been a football fan, and widely exposed as l have travelled to different parts of the world for sporting activities. l have spent my time and money to sponsor people that have
interest in sports in Nigeria, for example to the last Super Eagles’ match in Calabar, Cross River State. "My club has also spent money to support the NFSC, and l believe l will do better than others contesting for that position.’ "If elected, Adefarati promised to create better awareness about the importance of sports to the people and the nation in particular, about physical fitness, and also ensure effective development of sports in the different parts of the country.
L-R: CEO, Kinetic Sports, Samson Adamu; Chairman, Enyimba FC of Aba, Felix Anyansi; Marketing Manager, Hero Larger, Mrs. Jennifer Balogun, and Sales Director, SABMiller, Godwin Oche at the signing of a sponsorship deal for COPA Lagos between Enyimba FC and Hero Lager at SABMiller’s corporate office in Ikoyi, Lagos...recently
Shahin Nouri: Hoisting Nigeria’s Flag across the Globe Shahin Nouri’s passion for motor sports has never been in doubt and is really holding his own. Nouri, aka Fineboy Racing is a Swiss entrepreneur with a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. In 2009, Shahin moved to Nigeria to join his Nigerian wife, who made him love the country and made it his home. Shahin joined the AIM Group where he took on the role of Group Executive Director, adding his experience to the existing businesses in the group-consulting, hospitality, media, internet services. Having gotten involved in the different areas, Shahin became the CEO of Coollink and turned it into a successful Internet Service Provider (ISP) delivering Swiss-quality high-speed Internet and value added services across Nigeria. With high-speed internet also came the passion for high-speed driving, a passion Shahin put to the test in 2013 and got hooked to the adrenaline rush that came from it. Shahin always believed in following his dreams and living his passion, a racing passion that he has always cherished from childhood, and so decided to take part in the Radical S3 Challenge in 2014. He won different races including the Britcar Dunlop 24Hr at Silverstone. Not only did Shahin discover his potential in racing but also the potential in the country that welcomed him, the country he now calls home, the country that named him Fineboy, Nigeria! Shahin decided to drive for Nigeria, to become its ambassador in the racing world and to put the name, Nigeria, on the racing map, across Europe and the world. He decided to take the challenge one step further and went for the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo European Championship in 2015 where he represented Nigeria. This was the first time Nigeria was ever mentioned in a car racing event. Shahin made sure it was constantly mentioned by coming back home with multiple wins and trophies. Before the final race of the competition which took place in Valencia from December 2- 4, Shahin needed five points to beat the leading driver in his class. Not only did he gain the five points but he also ended first in the final race in first position, making him European champion and Vice World Champion of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo. Shahin is back home in Lagos, with several other cups added to his collection and with the Nigerian flag flown across different European countries and on the podium of some of the best racetracks in the world!
Participants Jostle for Honour at Governor's Badminton Championship Over 100 participants are jostling for honour at the maiden edition of Governor's South-west Badminton Championship which kicked off on Thursday at the indoor sports hall of the Rowe Park Sports Centre. The four-day championship have witnessed participants battling for honour in the different categories which also include the country’s top 16 ranked players and two officials each from every participating state. Completing the cast of participating players are: four male and female players from each of the south-western states for the senior category and two players-male and female, from the U-15 level as the competition also moves to improve grassroots badminton. Vice president of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, Francis Orbih, who doubles as the chairman of the Lagos State Badminton Association said the competition is part of efforts to revive the dwindling state of badminton in Nigeria. Orbih stressed that the competition was put in place to help the put its athletes in good shape ahead of any major tournament in the future, stating that it is to serve as a replacement for the classics that did not hold this year. The prize money for the championship will follow similar trend to foster gender equality; with the singles winner in the male and female category carting away the sum of N150,000.00 each for the 1st position, the 2nd placed winners win N100,000.00, while the joint 3rd positions go home with N75,000.00 each.