SATURDAY VANGUARD, JUNE 8, 2013—55
Obuh names Flying Eagles squad
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LYING Eagles coach, John Obuh yesterday named a final 21-man squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, which kicks off on June 20.
Nigeria U-17 international Wilfred Ndidi, a highly promising central defender, is one of the several additions to the
Ogba reaffirms resolve to tackle challenges of athletics •Promises to assist Delta in sports By TONY AGBAZA- OLEH
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E-ELECTED presi dent of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Chief Solomon Ogba has reaffirmed his resolve to tackle the challenges facing athletics in the country so that Nigerian athletes could reclaim their position in world athletics. According to Chief Ogba, efficiency, consistency, high level of preparedness and performance are the key words in sport, especially in the area of athletics, stressing that “I will make policies that will be favorable to sports men and women nation wide.” His pledge was contained in a press statement issued on Tuesday, June 3, 2013 to journalists in his country home at Avaira in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. The AFN president stressed that Nigerians should imbibe the spirit and culture of maintaining sport facilities provided to help develop people in the field of sports, adding that inadequate facilities for athletes to train with remains the major challenge to the development of sports. Ogba also emphasized that without identifying and tackling the problems bedeviling sports, it will be difficult for the
Barca fans plan programmes for youth empowerment
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Okagbare,(l) and Asumnu are two members of the women’s 4x100 relay team who have qualified for the World Championships later in August. AFN president, Solomon Ogba has promised to tackle the challenges facing athletics in the country. country to climb to the top as he assured the National Sports Commission, NSC, that his tenure will embrace high level of efficiency and maintenance of sports facilities for good performance at all levels in athletics. He also promised to work with the Delta State ministry of youth and sports development to ensure its sports men and women are properly groomed in order to take the State to a higher lev-
el in athletics. He urged youths in Isoko South and North to use this great opportunity to engage themselves in sports as it will be beneficial to them. The
HE 2013 Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League Final 8 play-offs dunks off today at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos with eight teams which qualified after the first and second phases decided earlier drawn into two groups of four each. According to the the fixtures released by the C M Y K
Nigeria Basketball Federation/League Board, First Deepwater, Sunnshine Angels, Nigeria Customs and FCT Angels are in Group A while First Bank, Dolphins, IGP Queens and Plateau Rocks are in Group B. In today ’s games, First Bank battles IGP Queens in the first game, Dolphins play Plateau Rocks, First
former Delta State sports commissioner said he will key into the three point agenda of the Delta State government on human capital development,
stressing that “this is to make sure we remove our youths from the streets and engage them in meaningful activities like sports.”
Nadal dismisses Djokovic, cruises into final
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AFAEL Nadal moved to within one win of a record eighth French Open title with a 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-7 9-7 semi-final victory over world No 1 Novak Djokovic.
Basketball: Zenith Bank Women’s League play-offs dunk off
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squad. The squad is drawn mostly from the Nigeria league, which provides 18 players, with three foreign-based professionals. The pros are Belgiumbased goalkeeper John Felegha, Michael Olaitan from Greek champions Olympiacos and Edafe Egbedi of Danish club AGF Aarhus. Sixteen of these players featured at the 2013 African Youth Championship in Algeria, where Nigeria placed third to qualify for the World Cup. The Flying Eagles were knocked out by France in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup in Colombia. They are drawn in the first round against Portugal, debutants Cuba and South Korea. Their opening game is on June 21 against Portugal.
Deepwater take on Nigeria Customs while the last game is that between Sunshine Angels and FCT Angels. Tomorrow at the same venue, Nigeria Customs and Dolphins take to the court first, First Bank and FCT Angels play next while IGP Queens versus Sunshine Angels and First Deepwater versus Plateau Rocks follow in that order.
The Spaniard looked on course for a straightforward afternoon in the Paris sunshine after racing through the third set, only for Djokovic to launch a ferocious comeback. Third seed Nadal served for the match at 65 in the fourth but the Serb broke and then won the tie-breaker 7-3. The momentum was now firmly with Djokovic as he broke in the opening game of the deciding set and held his next three service games. But at 4-3 deuce, Djokovic carelessly touched the net as he killed a simple smash and although the top seed saved the subsequent break point, Nadal won the next to level the match. The set went with serve
until the 16th game when Djokovic missed an easy smash in the first point and then watched a superb forehand winner from Nadal fly past him, before going long with a forehand. Djokovic was finally a beaten man and he put another forehand long to hand victory to Nadal in a shade over four and a half hours. Nadal’s record at Roland Garros is now an incredible 58-1. He will face either home hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in Sunday’s final. Djokovic - who was beaten in four sets in the final by Nadal last year - must wait at least another year to complete his haul of all four Grand Slam singles titles.
GROUP of concerned and well-meaning Nigerians and members of FC Barcelona Fan Club led by Mr. Leslie Oghomeinor is poised to give the youths, a lease of life, harness their talents, support youth develop-ment, emp-owerment, leadership and education projects. In addition improve and promote grassroots football via academy and tourna-ments, and all these ultimately lead to changing the face of football in Nigeria.
Serena battles Sharapova
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ERENA Williams and Maria Sharapova will renew one of the greatest rivalries of the modern era today with the French Open crown at stake. World No 1 Williams enters the final at Roland Garros unbeaten in 30 matches while her Russian adversary seeks back-to-back French Open titles. Victory in their respective semi-finals on Thursday means Sharapova and Williams will enter combat once again with the American holding a nine-year winning streak over the world No 2.