Ekiti Athletics Association picks 14 for South West Games
The Ekiti State Athletics Association on Thursday selected 14 athletes who would represent the state at the South West Alliance U-18 Games in Lagos from March 25 to March 29.
Nigeria Sport News
Nigeria beat Moldova to qualify for semifinal
A man-of-the-match performance by Faruk Yusuf was the motivation needed as Nigeria’s U-23 national handball team defeated Moldova 25-22 yesterday to seal a semifinal place at the ongoing Fifth IHF Emerging Nations Championship in Varna, Bulgaria.
2,000 athletes battle for laurels as MTN Champs event begins in Benin
The Founder/CEO of Making of Champions (MoC), Bambo Akanni, yesterday, disclosed that over 2,000 athletes are participating in the three-day MTN Champs Athletics Competition, which begins in Benin, Edo State today. The MTN Champs, a track and field athletics competition organised by Making of Champions (MoC), will end on Saturday. Akanni said that the MTN Champs Athletics Competition will be held in two different locations – the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Sports complex, noting that the three-day event sponsored by MTN Nigeria is aimed at empowering and discovering young athletes at the grassroots level. Akanni added that all the events holding in Benin City are with support from the Edo State government, which has provided support in terms of security, logistics, and accommodation for the athletes and officials, adding that 1,000 of the athletes will converge on the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, while the other 1,000 athletes will compete at the UNIBEN Sports Complex.
Okumagba: Pinnick’s FIFA Council seat loss setback for Nigerian football
The chairman of the Unified Supporters Club of Nigeria, Vincent Okumagba has described as a “setback,” the failure by Amaju Pinnick to retain his FIFA Council seat. Pinnick, a former NFF President, lost by a single vote at the poll held yesterday, in Cairo, Egypt, as part of the 14th CAF Extraordinary Congress. He scored 28 votes, only one short of both Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania and Souleman Hassan Waberi of Djibouti, who each scored 29 votes to make it to the exalted panel.
Super Eagles ‘desperate’ to reach 2026 World Cup, says Osimhen
Victor Osimhen says Nigeria will be driven by desperation in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month as they look to avoid missing out on a second successive World Cup finals, reports BBC.
Team Nigeria to perfect strategy in U.S.
Nigeria’s contingent to the 20th World Athletics Indoor Championships that is holding in Nanjing, China, will assemble in the United States of America to perfect its plans, Secretary-General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Israel Inwang has said. The world indoor championships in China may present Nigeria’s 4x400m men’s relay team the opportunity to write its name in gold after missing the chance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the team was disqualified after running a Season’s Best time of two minutes 59.81 seconds in the heat. This year’s world indoor championships will be held from March 21 to 23 at the newly-built Nanjing’s Cube Gymnasium, in the Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, China. Inwang told The Guardian, yesterday, that since the majority of the athletes invited for the championships reside in the U.S., the AFN decided to allow them to perfect their training in that country under the supervision of one of their board members, a former hurdler, Victor Okorie. “It will amount to a waste of a huge amount of money bringing the athletes from their different locations in the United States to Nigeria to train for the world indoor championships,” Inwang said. “One of our board members, Victor Okorie, and some other Nigerian coaches will supervise their training over there. “The home-based athletes, who will be part of the trip to the World indoors, are also training in Nigeria. As soon as we can secure visas for them, they will depart early for China. I am sure everything will work out fine.” Eight athletes, including six members of Nigeria’s 4x400m men’s relay team, will fly the country’s flag at the 2025 World Indoor Championships in China.
“I can only thank God for how far he has taken me, says Pinnick
•Commends Tinubu, Dikko, Gusau for ‘massive’ support
Morocco 2025: Flamingos intensify training as South Africa’s Bantwana land in Lagos
South Africa’s U-17 girls, Bantwana, were scheduled to arrive in Lagos yesterday evening, ahead of Saturday’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup second round, second leg qualifying match against Nigeria’s Flamingos.