Sports
Kwara To Build Golf, Table Tennis Academies
The Kwara State Government is to establish Golf and Table Tennis Academies to train youth to become top players and champions in national and international competitions.
The State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed disclosed this in Ilorin, while speaking with newsmen shortly after he performed the ceremonial tee off at the Kwara at 50 Open Golf Championship, holding at Ilorin Golf Course.
Governor Ahmed said the idea of establishing the two Academies in the state is still on course and promised that the idea would be taken to fruition level to support Kwara Football Academy.
He noted that the government is poised to making the Ilorin Golf Course a centre of attraction and destination for Golfers across the country.
The Governor maintained that the Course would continue to stand top among the comity of courses in Nigeria and West Africa sub-region.
Governor Ahmed encouraged Nigerians to develop interest in the game of Golf, saying that Golf is not an elitist game as being insinuated in some quarters.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Bolakale Ayo said the government would not relent in encouraging sports development in the state, particularly at grassroots level.
Earlier in his remarks, the Captain of Ilorin Golf Course, Layi Maliki had disclosed that the Championship and the Ibadan Open Championship would serve as qualifiers for an international championship billed for Equatorial Guinea. Maliki posited that the competition is to be managed by Sluqfort Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria’s premier promoters,organisers and consultants on golf tournaments. Maliki disclosed that the competition is sponsored by Bua Nigeria Ltd, a business outfit involved in farm produce such as Rice and Sugar Cane plantation in Lafiagi, Kwara.
Kunle Oyinloye, MD, Bank of Infrastructure, Sterling Bank Plc, Lanre Shittu Motors, Yolas Consultants, Chelfom Ltd, Pyramid Ltd, Harmony Holdings, Kwara Internal Revenue Service ICMA Professional Services and Duravil Engineering Ltd are some of the Co- sponsors of the event.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor
