Sports
OlympAfrica Hosts Chess Competition For Schools In PH
OlympAfrica University of Port Harcourt Centre, Rivers State, last Thursday organised a Chess Competition for primary, junior and senior Schools in the State.
Speaking at the event, the Director of OlympAfrica UNIPORT centre, in Nigeria, Dr ChukwuemekaAgi, revealed that winners of this competition will represent Nigeria in Dakar, Senegal, Headquarters of OlympAfrica in Africa, early next year.
Dr Agi, said this while attending to questions from sports journalists, shortly after the event at UNIPORT sports institute.
The competition was attended by 15 Schools including sporting academies; it was a highly competitive competition, where new talents have been discovered.
He explained that the preliminaries of the competition were played a month ago and players that participated in the competition are the best from each of the schools.
“We started this competition a month ago trying to get the best from schools, so the students participating in this competition are the best from each of the schools,” Dr Agi said.
According to him, talents discovered in the event would be groomed to stardom, adding that the future of chess in the state is bright.
“Looking at the quality of play I must say that I am impressed, in fact who is who in chess at their category has developed the game.
As I speak to you, a silver medalist at the just concluded national youth games (NYG), in Illorin, Kwara State, was beaten by those who have not attended any competition,” he stated.
In his reaction, a student of Federal Government College, Port Harcourt, Ochemba Donald, 10 years, who won in his category said he started to play chess at age of seven.
According to him, it was his elder sister that taught him how to play chess, adding, that why he loves to play the game is because it has made him to think well fast and reasonably.
“I started playing chess when I was seven, my elder sister taught me and I love the game because it makes me to think well, fast and reasonably.
He equally stated that his ambition was to become future world champion of the game.
Donald used the forum to advise students in the country to put interest in playing chess, as it would help them to think well.
By: Tonye Orabere
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