SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 8, 2014—59
Give us ambulances and vehicles, Edo cyclists tell Oshiomhole
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DO Cycling Association head coach, Orogho Bello, has appealed to the state government to provide ambulances and other vehicles to accompany cyclists during training. Bello said in Benin that their major challenges were sponsorship and lack of vehicles to accompany cyclists during training. “We need ambulances, buses and pick-up vans that will be accompanying us to training venues so that injured cyclists and faulty bicycles could be
conveyed. “The vehicle can also convey water for the athletes to drink because we usually cover 100 km. “The government is trying, in terms of bicycles; we are making do with what we have. “We are hopeful that the government will provide more bicycles for us before the 19th National Sports Festival holds in November,” Bello said. The coach also solicited for sponsorship to organise cycling competitions in the state. “The last time cycling competitions were
organised in the state was in the 1980s and 1990s. “We are trying to put in our best to see that we organise a cycling competition, if we get sponsors we will invite cyclists from other states. “We have been able to discover cyclists from the grassroots and most of our state cyclists are from among them,” he added. According to Bello, the state cyclists will participate in the Rivers Cycling Association championship holding on Feb. 9 in Port Harcourt.
NFF backs NYSC soccer competition
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IGERIA Football Federation president, Aminu Maigari said in Abuja that the federation will bestow support for the football event of the annual National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC) Sports and Cultural Festival. Maigari who was a guest at the event’s Grand Finale at the Aguiyi Ironsi Cantonment said the competition was worthwhile because of its importance to youth development. He also commended the organisers of the festival for the cash prizes given to the various win-
ners. “I commend the organisers of the festival for this youth initiative because this is all about youth development and it shows that our youths are engaging in different sports across the country. “We, at the football house, will continue to show our support for the success of the festival. “And the cash prizes given to the winners is one of the ways to encourage youth participation in sports because they will be motivated to do more,” Maigari said. The News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2013 festival had started on Monday, Feb. 3 at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja with sports and cultural activities. The festival was created to, among other things, serve as a platform for corps members to interact, share ideas and further expand the frontiers of friendship and unity among them. Winners at the grand finale received cash prizes of different amounts for participating in the march-past, volleyball, football and athletics events at the festival.
Nigerian athletes grieve over departed Cuban coach Republic, but his wish did
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ORMER top Nigerian athletes have been pouring out their hearts at the demise of highly regarded Cuban coach, Jorge Izquierdo Diaz who passed on last week due to a heart failure. Mr. Diaz inspired quite a number of Nigerian athletes including Chioma Ajunwa, Gloria Alozie, Angela Atede, Taiye Aladefa, Williams Erese, Moses Oyiki, Ken Enyiazu and others while he was in Nigeria in the 1990’s. He was in the country as a fallout of a culture and sports exchange, between Nigeria and Cuba. He was in company of another Cuban coach, Jose Salazaar who was a jumps and throw coach, but it was Diaz that connected well with the athletes and his dedication to work was extraordinary, it was manifest in the sense that Nigeria had a crop of quality hurdlers. One of such was Alozie who rose from an average athlete to a world class beater, she narrowly missed the gold in the women 100m hurdles at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. “It is so sad we’ll really miss him. He was such a great person and also a coach!”, Alozie lamented One of Diaz greatest achievement was guiding Ajunwa to win Nigeria’s first ever Olympics gold medal
EW kid on the block of Nigerian athletics, Stephen Mozia has revealed his desire to improve on his performances and strive for a world title. Mozia born of Nigerian parents from Ibusa, Delta State recently hauled a put of 20.52m and he tickled the fancy of Athletics Federation of Nigeria. And good enough, the 20year-old athlete has pledged his allegiance to Nigeria, despite being a promising young thrower for the USA. He was the only US thrower that made the final of the shot put, at the World Junior Championships 2012 in
NBBF gets special treatment in funds allocation
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OUSE of Assembly committee on sports chairman, Kabiru Gaiya has disclosed that financial allocation to the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) would henceforth be separated from those of other sports federations in the federal budget. Gaiya made the disclosure to the News Agency of (NAN) at the NBBF Stakeholders Forum in Abuja on plans for the
2013/2014 season and the way forward for the sport’s growth. According to him, the separation will enable NBBF to receive its allocation on time than the former way in which allocations were lumped together thereby causing delay. He said that basketball had grown from the ranks of the lesser sports and had gradually become a favoured sport in Nigeria.
“Basketball has gradually grown to become a big sport in Nigeria; there are a lot of activities going on yearly as regards the league, and other international competitions. “Nigeria will feature in the Commonwealth Games coming up in Glasgow, Scotland and hopefully in the coming 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and we intend to prepare well for these international events.
not materialised as it seems the AFN, lacked the will and power to bring him back for another coaching spell. “Nigeria has abundant talents. And when I was there I loved working with them and If I had my way I will go back there,” Diaz maintained during an interview. Before his passing he was the head coach of the IAAF High performance center in Dakar, Senegal.
•Jorge Diaz...Missed by Nigerian athletes
Mozia muscles up for greater outing with Nigeria Barcelona, Spain.
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BRAZIL BOUND... L-R: Mr. Olalekan Ismail, Regional Manager, North, MultiChoice Nigeria; Mr.Augustine Egbedi winner of an all expense paid trip to Brazil and Ms. Caroline Oghuma, Public Relations Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria, during the presentation of DStv Samba 2014 “Let”s go to Brazil” promo held at MultiChoice Abuja Office.
at the Atlanta 1996 Games. Ajunwa who was laid off due to a drug ban for four years, trained under the Cuban at the National Stadium in Lagos, her 7.12m mark remains an African and national women long jump record. “He came to Nigeria’s track and made impact in our lives...“the Hurdlers”. He laid it in our hearts that hurdles is just as important as the sprints. He gave us his time, dedication, his love, he made us train hard with laughter when we were tired he encouraged us to know we could be the best in the continent of Africa and also one of the best in the world. “Well, we did! we won continental competitions, kept our head up high and several of us won NCAA’s, placed high in World Championships and even at Olympics. All of this he did just the love of the sports and his love for his hard working athletes. Jorge Diaz Izquierdo was a genuine mentor, a friend, a father’s figure who will truly be missed,” Aladefa wrote. Before his passing Diaz, expressed his desire to return to Nigeria. In 2012, he met with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria president, Solomon Ogba during the African championships in Porto Novo, Benin
Stanley Mozia.... waiting to be crowned king of throws
“I feel great with the decision to come to Nigeria. I have been there several times, when I was 13 and 18 I was there. I have my family in Nigeria, my grand parents are there, my uncle is there and so I had little problem reaching the decision to represent the country,” said the athlete. Mozia a second year student of the Cornell University New York, added that he was happy with his steady progress, starting from the 19.81m he did in Barcelona and the 20.52 he did on the boards recently. “I am so happy with my improvement. I know that I will have to keep on working hard to produce world class performance.” Mozia who is competing in the NCAA this weekend and on February 22 stated that he has outlined his programme this season and barring any unforeseen circumstances he will be in Nigeria for the Cross River All Nigeria championship in June. “I am looking forward to coming to the trials in Nigeria. And then of course I will be at the Af-
rican championships and may be also the Commonwealth Games. I know a lot of Nigerian athletes, including Austin Nwoye whom I met at the world juniors in Spain.” Apart from the shot put, Mozia is also good in the discus and hammer throw. Rather interesting for an athlete who started out as sprinter. “He is excited about coming to Nigeria. His coach and parents have given him their blessing and are doing everything to see that he had a successful career with Nigeria. “His recent performance, 20.50m is indoors and is just a start. In the outdoors he is likely to improve on that. He will be here for the trials and indeed, we can begin to look forward to keen competition in the throws,” said Gabriel Opuana former national hammer throws champion. Chima Ugwu is the national record holder 20.26m established since July 2000.. The AFN has yet communicated if it had ratified Mozia’s 20.52m as the new national record.