Sports
Sports Enthusiasts Applaud Birth Of Offsight Race
A new type of sport, “Offsight Race’’ which enhances the mind’s power of focus and imbues positive thinking was yesterday presented to the world of sports in Nimo, Njikoka Council Area of Anambra.
The game is conceptualised, designed and developed by Anambra-born Chukwudi Ikedimma from Nimo town.
Offsight Race is a game of three stages where the athlete is blindfolded and made to walk within some given regions in which points are recorded in terms of accuracy and speed.
According to the inventor, Ikedimma, the game strengthens the mind’s power of focus and inspires positive thinking in the athletes as well as instill useful values.
He said that Offsight Race is a game for all irrespective of gender, age or physical impairment which promotes positive and healthy competition as well as the eagerness of an individual to thrive.
Ikedimma said that the game was conceived during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service year and had undergone years of research and development.
According to him, the main concept of Offsight Race is to positively identify neighbouring regions in relation to the place of play.
“Offsight Race is a game of friendship, solidarity, peace and fair play which are some of the fundamental principles of the Olympic movement.
“Our desire is that in a very near future, Offsight Race will be a major event at the world stage of the Olympic Games.
“We are calling on Nigerians sports authorities to adopt the game and promote it because of its immense benefit,” he said.
Frank Igboka, a veteran Wrestler and Judoka, described the game as hilarious and inspiring, adding that it demanded focus and tact from the athlete.
Igboka, an Olympian who is also from Nimo, said that the community wholly endorsed Offsight Race and was presenting it to the world.
He urged lovers of sports and corporate firms to sponsor the idea and make it part of the country’s contributions to sports.
Contributing, Jane Owo, Head Enugu Zonal Office of The Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, applauded the concept and ingenuity of the game.
Owo described Offsight Race as non-segregational and promised that the ministry would like to bring the game to limelight.
On his part, Geoffrey Ogu, President, Para-Athletics Federation of Nigeria (PFN), said Nimo had made another history with the gift of Offsight Race to the world of sports.
Ogu, who noted that the recent signing of disability bill into law by President Muhammadu Buhari would increase activity in para-games volunteered to supervise the game.
“The core value of this game is that it is for all; men, women, able, disabled, young and the aged.
“I now supervise blind football, I will like to make this game a national and international event,” he said.
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