SPORTS
19th UFAK Western African Championship: Team Nigeria Emerge 3rd overall Best
Nigeria on Sunday emerged as the third overall best team at the just concluded 19th Union of African Karate Federations (UFAK) Western African Championships in Guogaduoguo, Burkina Faso.
Newsmen report that the Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN) karatekas participated only in the female event in the Senior Category which held from Aug.
2 to Aug. 7.Silas Agara, KFN President who confirmed the result to reporters on Sunday, said that Team Nigeria dazzled in the event, finishing as the third overall best team out of a total of 14 countries which took part in the six-day championships.
He explained that the tournament was a developmental event towards the All Africa Games, Commonwealth and the Olympics for Nigerian karatekas in the country.
He revealed that in preparation for the tournament, the Nigerian team camped at the National Institute for Sports in Lagos from July 27 to Aug 1.
“The KFN attended the 19th UFAK Western African Championship in Guogaduoguo the Capital of Burkina Faso which was an excellent outing for Nigeria as our karatekas gave a good account of themselves.
“We returned with a superlative performance of three gold, three silver and one bronze out of six medal events to finish third with an all-female team coached by Amenze Atoe-Jude and assisted by Efezino Akpotu.
“Ngozi Okoro won gold in the +50kg category, while Godfirst Samson also won gold in the +55kg.
“Choima Ani got the third gold medal in the +68kg category.
“The duo of Elizabeth Ogaga and Ibiene Finebon won silver medals, while Alice Henry also won bronze in the -68kg in the KATA (the performance of a series of predefined sequences) event,” he said.
NAN also reports that hosts Burkina Faso topped the medals table with 14 gold, 14 silver and 35 bronze, while Cote d’ Ivoire finished second with 12 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze.
Both Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire competed in all the categories including the Cadet, Junior and Senior events, while Nigeria only took part in the senior event of the female category and completely dominated the event.
The list of countries which participated in the championships include: Ghana, Togo, Benin Rep, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, Mali, Gambia, Serria Leone, Mali and Guinea. (NAN)
Nasarawa United Football Club of Lafia on Saturday defeated Lobi Stars of Makurdi 1-0 in a pulsating North Central derby.
The matchday 16 fixture of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiere Football League (NPFL) was played at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa State capital.
The Makurdi side had adopted the Lafia Township Stadium as their home ground for the 2024/2025 NPFL season.
The only goal of the match was scored by Qamar Adegoke in the 12th minute of the match to give all three points to the Lafia side.
Adegoke’s goal, who joined the Lafia team recently, was his second in four matches.
The Nasarawa attacker capitalised on a defensive error by the opponent’s backline and hit the back of the net to give Nasarawa United the advantage.
In a post-match interview, Kabir Dogo, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United, hailed his players for taking all three points.
He explained that his team had improved by scoring five goals in their last three matches and expressed optimism that they would do better in subsequent games.
“We had a problem in the area of goal scoring in the past, but this has changed in our last three games,” he said.
With the win, Nasarawa United climbed to 14th on the NPFL table, while Lobi Stars remain on 17th position. (NAN)
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is organising a two-day National Coaching Seminar, with the theme: “Leadership and Management Skills”.
The event will take place from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, at the Additional Sports and Entertainment (ASEP) Pro Limited, in Mowe, Ogun State.
The seminar will enhance the capabilities of Nigerian table tennis coaches, with a particular emphasis on female coaches, aligning with the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Initiative.
A statement issued by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, on Tuesday, said that the seminar was part of the one-week sports and leadership boot camp titled “Awaken the Giant, She Can 4.
0,” proudly supported by NTTF.“This seminar will also represent the third stage of the 2024 “My Gender, My Strength” programme, which has table tennis star Abosede Akinsete, as a beneficiary.
“NTTF President,Tikon Ishaku, Vice President, Adesoji Tayo, and other board members are dedicated to initiatives that support the development of coaches.
“Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, ITTF Executive Vice President, and President of ITTF-Africa, reaffirms his commitment to empowering women in sports, in line with the GEDI Initiative.
He explained that the seminar would feature people, who would speak on leadership and management skills, to enhance the abilities of coaches to identify and develop talents, as well as encourage the development of high-performance table tennis players capable of competing globally. (NAN)
Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt on Sunday returned to the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) summit as strong rivals Remo Stars FC faltered on Match Day 13.
Report says that Rivers United beat visiting Abia Warriors of Umuahia 1-0 after an Ndifreke Effiong 58th minute goal from the penalty kick spot.
Effiong’s goal in the match at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium helped them to move to 25 points from 13 matches, after seven wins, four draws and two losses.
Former leaders Remo Stars dropped to second with 23 points from 13 matches after seven wins, two draws and four losses, following a 0-2 loss to hosts Katsina United.
Plateau United of Jos beat visiting Nasarawa United of Lafia 2-0 to bolster their position.
Shooting Stars Sports Club also struggled to a 1-0 win over visiting Bayelsa United of Yenago.
A 15th minute goal by Anthony Okachi at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan gave them the win.
El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri had on Saturday beaten Akwa United of Uyo 1-0 to move into third place on the table with 22 points from 13 games.
Enyimba International of Aba remained in fourth place with 20 points from 12 matches, with their week 13 game against Sunshine Stars of Akure on hold.
Rangers International of Enugu are in fifth place with 20 points also, after a goalless draw with hosts Heartland FC ain Owerri on Saturday.
Bendel Insurance of Benin had also beaten Kwara United of Ilorin 3-1, while Lobi Stars of Makurdi drew 2-2 with visiting Kano Pillars in Lafia.
NAN reports that the league will enter Match Day 14 on Wednesday.(NAN)
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