Sports
My Dad Enrolled Me In Karate – National Champion
A Karate national champion, Joseph Omu, says his father enrolled him and his brother in the sport at their tender ages as a “weapon” for self-defence from bullies.
Omu, champion in the karate -84kg category, told newsmen yesterday in Lagos that ironically, the sport had helped to improve his self-discipline and independent lifestyle.
“Karate for me has been a journey I started since childhood. My brother and I got enrolled by our dad into a karate school at National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos in the late 1990s.
‘“He did that so that we could defend ourselves from bullies; there, we learnt how to back out from a fight.
“’But funny enough, Karate is a way of life; it teaches you a lot about life, it’s like a life preparing process.
“Martial art is one of the best sports in the world because it teaches self-discipline, tolerance, patience, self-defence and independence,” he said.
On his victory at the Nassarawa Open Championships held in April, Omu, who expressed happiness that the victory qualified him for the African Games, however, noted that he still had one final match in the closed camp.
“Winning in Nasarrawa qualified me but I still have a final battle in a closed camp trials which, only God knows when it’s going to be.
“’But for the mean time, I still want to maintain my shape and form as the champion and represent Nigeria in any international championship if need be,” he said.
Omu expressed sadness in Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
“Karate in the Olympic is a big blessing and achievement for all of us as karatekas though it was not easy getting in because the constitution was bent to fit in the Olympics.
“Well, to qualify for the Olympics, you have to acquire a lot of points and how do you get these points? You must attend karate leagues and win medals each time you do so.
“And we tried to keep up with it but couldn’t due to financial issues. Like I said earlier, we need a good administrative board with good future plans.
“So, basically, nobody in Nigerian karate can qualify for Tokyo 2020,” he said.
He added that Karate was a global sport for different countries because of the immense love for it.
“Karate did not just become global, it became one due to the love majority have for it. It became some country’s pride and number one sport.
“For Nigeria, I think if we want to improve, we need to start building a good and solid foundation. New administrative board members with good and future plans will also help,” he said.
Omu advised younger karatekas to remain focused, work hard, be patient, be disciplined and be prayerful.
Sports
We’ll use Sports to Promote Peace, create Wealth in Tai…Chairman.
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.
Sports
NBA train youths, coaches in Nigeria
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.
Sports
BFN Hold Clinic to Empower Coaches
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.