Sports
10 Nigerian Youths For Homeless World Cup
Community Connects for Leadership, a Lagos-based, Non-Government Organisation (NGO), has shortlisted 10 youths from Cross River State for the Homeless World Cup scheduled to hold in Mexico in 2012.
They are: Regina Otu, Onyinye Christpher, Ruth Nwana, Blessing Epko, Glory Henshaw, Bassey Ekpeynog, Edem Effiong, Kingsley Uduak, Alale Ilam and Peace Nse Edet.
Yomi Kuku, an official of the organisation, told newsmen on December 25, after a 3-week selection exercise in Calabar that only three youths of the 10 youths would eventually make it to Mexico.
He said the shortlisted players would undergo another screening in Lagos, out of which the three would be selected to represent the country in the tournament expected to hold between October 6 and October 18, 2012.
Kuku explained that the tournament was part of FIFA’s effort to encourage “fair play in football”.
He said that Cross River was the first state outside Lagos to embrace Community Connects for Leadership, “which is all about sharing and reaching out”.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Search and Groom, Nigeria, Ini Onuk, had said that 128 youths from across the 18 local government areas of the state participated in the exercise.
“We had over 2,000 male and female youths that applied to participate, but only 128 were accommodated at the end of which 10 were shortlisted,” she said.
Onuk said the exercise was made possible through a partnership with the Bridge Foundation for Leadership, and that it was aimed at grooming youths of Cross River for future leadership roles.
Speaking on the occasion, Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River said the exercise was beyond being champions.
“It is an opportunity for the youth to express their God-given leadership qualities.
“This whole exercise is all about turning you to become leaders. It is about preparing you for the future. It is about preparing you to be humble champions.
“It is also to prepare you to be leaders of your community and to be leaders of your country both on and off the football field,” Imoke said.
He said there was a need for the youth to always have vision in life, pointing out that with vision, they could help their community.
The Tidesports reports that outstanding players were presented with trophies in addition to the certificate of participation given to all the participants.
Homeless World Cup features a five-a-side format played without referees and the two teams decide the rules of the game.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
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