Sports
Rio: S’Africa’s Banyana, Sweden To Kick-Off Football Event
The South African women’s team, Banyana Banyana, will have the honour of participating in the first event at the 2016 Summer Olympics when they tackle Sweden today.
Banyana and the Swedes will face off at Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro for a Group A clash, with kick-off at 18h00 CAT.
South Africa secured their place at the Olympics (for the second successive time) by coming through three qualifying rounds in the CAF preliminaries. They overcame Gabon, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea to secure a place at the Games.
Vera Pauw’s side will be looking for an improved showing compared to their 2012 debut, when they finished bottom of their group in London after losses to Sweden and Candada, as well as a goalless draw with Japan.
Just as four years ago, Banyana open their campaign with a clash against the Swedes, who are making their sixth appearance at the Olympics and joined France and Germany as the three European qualifiers.
It is crucial that South Africa does not suffer a repeat of their 4-1 loss to Sweden in Coventry, but Banyana captain Janine Van Wyk believes they are far better prepared this time around.
We have been meeting these girls [the Sweden team] up and down the elevator, and thinking that those are the opponents we will be facing,” Van Wyk told SAFA Media.
“We also were thinking that in 2012 in London it was our opening match against them and that the result was not what we expected, makes it a game that is unforgettable.
“When people ask me today who was the toughest opponent we have ever faced, it would be Sweden who beat us 4-1 in 2012 and we were not well prepared.
“This time around we are looking forward to the match and going for it as best as we can, with the team high on confidence in ourselves as a group.
“I think we are really capable of getting a good result if we just stick together and work on the aspects we have been working on for the past eight months.
“This game will give us a lot of confidence going forward if we get a good result – so we are really looking forward to as it means a lot to us, probably one of the most important matches of the tournament to get a good start for ourselves.”
The other Group A match sees hosts Brazil tackle China at the same venue an hour after the Banyana game finishes.
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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