Boxing ! Record Breaking Participation in Upcoming AIBA Youth World Championships Sofia 2014

As the registration deadline for the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships Sofia 2014 has passed, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) is pleased that it can now announce that it is expecting the competition to be historic in many ways.

With this year’s competition serving as the sole Qualifying Event for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, 105 nations have entered 606 boxers (506 men and 100 women). If you also take into consideration the 175 reserve boxers registered by AIBA National Member Federations for the event, an impressive total of 781 athletes will land in Sofia between April 10 and 12, compared with the 17th edition, held in 2012 in Yerevan (Armenia), in which a total of 69 countries had registered 367 boxers (only men).

Moreover, for the first time in history, women’s youth boxers will appear in the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing. They will compete in the three Olympic weight categories: Fly (48-51kg), Light (57-60kg) and Middle (69-75kg). Therefore we are talking about no less than 47 countries which have registered the 100 women youth boxers. Meanwhile, 103 nations have entered 506 men youth boxers.

For men, the top five ranked boxers from different National Olympic Committees in each weight category will qualify for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. For women, the top four will qualify.

“As AIBA President and on behalf of the entire boxing Family, I am extremely delighted with these figures”, stated Dr Ching-Kuo Wu. “They demonstrate the fast growth of our beloved sport and are the consequence of AIBA’s reform and changes. This shows that more and more young athletes dream of embracing a career in our sport and believe that AIBA is offering them exciting opportunities. They are the future of the sport of boxing and I cannot wait to see them compete in Sofia”.

For several years now, AIBA has delivered one of the most pioneering sports development programs in the world. The AIBA “Road to Dream” Program offers athletes and coaches from underprivileged and developing boxing countries the opportunity to attend intensive two week training camps in the build-up to major AIBA competitions such as the World Championships.

AIBA provides each participant with airline tickets, accommodation, food and drink, full training facilities with equipment, training kits, gloves and headgear, full medical and massage services as well as covering insurance, visa expenses and local transportation.

The AIBA “Road to Sofia” training camp will kick off on March 29 and will host 60 boxers (48 men and 12 women) and 18 coaches from 31 countries.

The 2014 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships will be held at the Armeec Arena of Sofia (Bulgaria) from 10 to 20 April 2014.

Flying Eagles pick 35 from open trials

The Flying Eagles have picked 35 players after an intensive two-week open screening in Abuja, which attracted over 1,500 hopefuls.

The second phase of the Nigeria U20 team’s training camp will commence in Abuja on Monday, when the 35 players from the open trials are joined by 20 other players who were involved with the country’s U17 team last year.

“We expect a much fiercer competition in the second phase and players need to be more consistent to survive then,” said Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba.

Manu plans to soon form a standing team in time for the Flying Eagles African Youth Championship qualifying match against either Kenya or Tanzania in early May.

PLAYERS PICKED FROM FLYING EAGLES OPEN SCREENING

Goalkeepers: Joshua Enaholo, Adamu Abubakar, Amos Benjamin, Zaradeen Usman

Defenders: Babatunde Ade, Baba Garba Ghaddafi, Mazadu Surajo Abdullahi, Julius Emalaju, Chukwuma Okpara, Timothy Danladi, Ifeanyi Nweke, Bashir Mansur

Midfielders: Anthony Chukwudi Omaka, Fidelis Irene, Samuel Mathias, Uche Okeke, Aremu Abdulhafeez, Raphael Ayagwa, Alashe Sherif Ajibola, Shabanya Jonathan, Uche Chibueze, Bankole Segun, Salman Ibrahim, Jimoh Wasiu

Strikers: Suleiman Abdullahi, Abubakar Lawal, Billy Auta, Mahmoud Mohammed, Orji Promise, Aliyu Sani Jandi, Victory Omadigbe, Eze Chisom, Yakubu Mohammed, Peter Araodion, Isaac Uduak

Swedish ice hockey player Nicklas Backstrom to receive Sochi silver medal

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced a decision in the case of Swedish ice hockey player Nicklas Backstrom who participated in the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

Backstrom, 26, tested positive on 19 February for the presence of pseudoephedrine (PSE) in excess of the applicable decision limit of 170 µg/mL. He was provisionally suspended from competing in the final of the men’s ice hockey competition between Sweden and Canada.

The IOC Disciplinary Commission (DC), composed of Anita L. DeFrantz (Chairperson), Nawal El Moutawakel and Claudia Bokel, found that the provisional suspension was fully justified, not only due to the presence in excess of the applicable decision limit of PSE in his urine sample, but also due to the fact that the athlete conceded at the hearing, which took place shortly before the final match, that he had also taken medication containing PSE earlier that day.

The IOC DC took into account in particular that the athlete had been cooperative, had disclosed the medication in question in the doping control form and had relied on the specific advice of his team doctor that the intake of the medication would not give rise to an adverse analytical finding. There was also no indication of any intent of the athlete to improve his performance by taking a prohibited substance. Based upon these mitigating circumstances, the IOC DC considered that the athlete should be entitled to receive the silver medal and diploma awarded for men’s ice hockey.

Under the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, testing took place under the IOC’s auspices from 30 January (the date of the opening of the Olympic Villages) to 23 February 2014 (the date of the Closing Ceremony). Within that period, the IOC systematically performed tests before and after events and oversaw the most stringent anti-doping programme in Olympic Winter Games history. In total, 2,667 tests were conducted, surpassing the previous record set at Vancouver 2010 by 518 tests. Of the 2,667 tests, 477 were blood tests and 2,190 were urine tests.

NBBF/ Dstv Premier Basketball League Week 2 Round Up

A Recap of week 2 games in the NBBF/ DStv Premier Basketball League

Femi Adefeso

Three games in the Atlantic conference 4 games in the Savannah conference.

In the Atlantic Conference.
Lead by player coach Seyi Ayodele’s 15 points Lagos Islanders defeated Police Baton 48-39 in a very low scoring encounter. A match that saw Islanders captain Seun Akinwale ruled out for the rest of the season after he dislocated his left elbow in the 4th quarter of the game.

The Nigerian Customs bounced back from last week’s loss to Islanders by taking a ride on the Stallions of Union Bank 61-53. And Port Harcout based Royal Hoopers who were walked over in week 1 defeated visiting Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan by just 1 point 54-53 in a very fierce encounter to round up proceedings in the Atlantic conference. The Dodan Warriors versus Kwara Falcons game was postponed to 1st of April due to the request of Kwara Falcos after 4 of their players were involved in a car crash which lead to the demise of one of their players Joseph Aduku.

From the Savannah Conference there were 2 away wins in week 2. League champions Kano Pillars went to Kaduna to defeat Immigration 69-47 and Plateau Peaks defeating Niger Potters 65-61 win in Minna.

In Abuja, Mark Mentors reaffirmed their title credentials by beating new comers Gombe Bulls 89-51. While the last game in the coference saw 2 teams who lost in week one Bauchi Nets and Kada Stars go head to head in Bauchi. The Nets however rode on home court advantage to ensure Kada Stars remain winless this season with a 68-64 point win.

Femi Adefeso

CGF Welcomes Lifting of Fiji’s Suspension from Commonwealth – will now compete in Glasgow 2014

Percival Epeli Navolo (Fiji) competing in the 1km Mens Time Trial at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

The President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), HRH Tunku Imran, has welcomed today’s decision by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to lift Fiji’s full suspension from the Commonwealth – a decision which clears the way for Fiji to compete in the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, this summer.

His Royal Highness said: “I am delighted to welcome Fiji back into the Commonwealth Games family, and very pleased that they will be able to participate in Glasgow. The Games will be an incredible festival of sport, and the celebrations will be all the more complete with our Fijian friends and colleagues taking part.

“The CGF has made numerous representations for Fiji to be allowed to participate in the Games since the suspension was imposed; most recently at our General Assembly last August, which was attended by Commonwealth Secretary General HE Kamlesh Sharma, and I’m glad that this has occurred in time for Glasgow.

“The CGF will now work with our colleagues at the Organising Committee in Glasgow, along with Mr Reg Sanday, President of the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC), and his team, to facilitate their participation.”

Rwanda hosting Volleyball Cooperation Programme for teachers

Rwanda is currently hosting a Volleyball Cooperation Programme in its capital Kigali, and the course opening was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Sport and the Rwandan Volleyball Federation.

The course runs from March 10 to 14 under the instruction of Michel Vandermeulen of Belgium.
The main aim of the VCP course is to show teachers how to adapt volleyball as an easy, fun and competitive sport in schools.

Physical Education Teachers are one of key target groups for the Volleyball Cooperation Programme to help them learn how they can integrate volleyball into their schools and motivate young volleyball players.

The aim of the five-day course is for teachers to learn the basic skills of teaching children the fundamentals of volleyball in a practical way, in addition to showing how to maximise school facilities for multiple courts and mass participation.