Rugby Sevens Regional Qualifiers Set For Rio 2016 Olympic Games

World Rugby has announced the location and dates for the regional qualification tournaments that will deliver six men’s and six women’s teams to the Games.

World Rugby

With global excitement building ahead of rugby sevens’ Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016, World Rugby has announced the location and dates for the regional qualification tournaments that will deliver six men’s and six women’s teams to the Games.

The top four teams in the respective men’s and women’s World Rugby Sevens Series standings are set to secure their places in the coming weeks. Brazil has been granted automatic qualification for both men and women by World Rugby as the host nation for the Games. Attention now turns to the race to secure a coveted place via the regional qualifiers.

A men’s and a women’s team will qualify from each of the six regional Olympic qualification tournaments, that will take place between June and November 2015.

World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “This exciting announcement marks another significant milestone as the global rugby family counts down to rugby sevens’ Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016 when we will see rugby’s first Olympians in more than 92 years competing on sport’s greatest stage.”

“With rugby sevens enjoying unprecedented global profile and growth and the men’s and women’s Sevens World Series set to go down to the wire in this, the most compelling of rugby sevens’ years, I am sure that the regional Olympic qualifiers will be extremely competitive, underscoring the tremendous depth of competition around the globe.”

Fittingly, with the Games taking place in Rio, it is South America who will provide the first regional qualifiers with the men’s and women’s tournaments taking place in Santa Fe, Argentina, on 5-7 June, 2015.
The men’s and women’s North America and the Caribbean qualification tournament will follow in Cary, North Carolina, USA, on 13-14 June, while Europe’s women representatives will be confirmed in Brive, France on 20-21 June with the men confirmed in Exeter, England, on 11-12 July. The women’s qualifier from Africa will be confirmed at the African women’s qualification tournament which will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 26-27 September.

Qualification will take a break during Rugby World Cup before resuming with the Asia men’s qualifier in Hong Kong on 7-8 November. On the following weekend, 14-15 November, the Oceania men’s and women’s qualifier will be held in Auckland, New Zealand and the African men’s qualifier will take place in Johannesburg.

Asia will deliver the final women’s regional qualifier to book their place at Rio 2016 at the conclusion of the Tokyo Women’s Sevens tournament on 28-29 November. The 12th and final place in both the men’s and women’s Olympic Games rugby sevens competitions will be determined via a World Rugby final repechage tournament which will take place before the end of June 2016 (date and location to be confirmed by 31 December, 2015).

With anticipation building across the rugby community, the global qualification process well underway and rugby sevens continuing to excite, engage and inspire new participants and audiences around the world, initial demand for tickets has been high the for the six days of rugby sevens at Rio 2016.

Rugby sevens regional qualifiers set for Rio 2016 Olympic Games, photo cedit World Rugby

Lapasset added: “Rugby sevens, with its winning blend of high-octane action, close competition and entertainment, is proving a hit with young audiences, broadcasters and commercial partners around the world. This is why we believe that Rio will love sevens and we look forward to hosting fans in an exceptional arena at the very heart of the Deodoro complex where fans will experience the dynamic athleticism of our rugby sevens Olympians in a unique festival atmosphere.”

Agberto Guimarães, Rio 2016 Executive Director of Sport and Paralympic Integration, said: “The regional qualifying tournaments represent another important step for rugby sevens on the journey to making the sport´s Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games. With 15 months to go the organising committee is working hard every day to ensure everything is in place to deliver an excellent competition in a vibrant venue in the Deodoro zone. The teams that qualify will have the opportunity to showcase the skill and excitement of rugby sevens in front of a passionate Brazilian atmosphere.”

Tickets can be purchased by rugby fans around the world via the authorised ticket reseller in their country. Visit the Rio 2016 website for more information – http://www.rio2016.com/spectators Rugby sevens will make its Olympic Games debut on 6 August, 2016 after the Rio 2016 Organising Committee released the daily competition schedule to mark 500 days to go.

The rugby sevens competitions at the Deodoro Olympic Park will be played over six days between 6-11 August with two sessions per day. The world’s top women will be the first rugby players to compete for an Olympic Games medal for 92 years with 12 teams competing over three days with the 12-team men’s competition following over the next three days.

Okpekpe Road Race’s Medical Guidelines Released

The Medical Coordinator of the Okpekpe 10 kilometres Race slated for May 16, Dr. Gab Okafor has unveiled management tit bits for the competition in accordance with the IAAF competitions’ guidelines for road race events.

Disclosing this to news men in Benin City on Monday, Dr. Okafor stated that the main components for the road race include: pre-participation evaluation and briefing for participating athletes, qualified medical team and medical volunteers, comprising doctors, nurses, EMTs, Physiotherapists who will be deployed appropriately.

He said some of the medical personnel would be at fixed location to offer medical service points like the finish line and aid stations along the route, at medical vehicles (ambulances), while first response teams to give immediate first aid along the course of the race will also be available.

Okafor also said the medical team would provide major support and AID at the finish line with all the emergency support and medical supplies, provide minor AID station at the water stations to provide first aid and relief for minor injuries.

According to him, fully equipped advanced Life Support (ACLS) ambulances will be at the finish line and on the course of the race, additional ambulance for handling minor emergence, sweeping vehicle for assisting healthy retired participants who are unable to complete the race and the use of Heat Stress Index Flags depending on the weather condition will also be available at the race.

Go Round FC Get Owu Deal

Nigeria National League campaigners, Go Round FC will wear Owu designed jerseys when their season kicks off next week.

Team Manager of the club, Soni Uboh revealed this over the weekend.

According to Uboh, the club previously used to buy kit off the shelf but have decided to toe the professional line.

“We have had to adapt to the way things are done in other climes in terms of football management and pre-season activities.

“We now have a deal with Owu Sports for the new season which includes three sets of jerseys designed in the clubs colours, of yellow, orange and white,” Soni Uboh said.

Barrister Tunji Brown. C.E.O Owu sportswear

Players unveiled

Soni Uboh also added that the club used the occasion to unveil some new players for the club.

Amongst players unveiled by the club are, Ugochukwu Ikechukwu who was once on the books of Bayelsa United and Nasarawa United as well as Gabriel Agu, once on the books of Enyimba and Kwara United.

Former captain of Ocean Boys and Nembe City, Kola Awe has also signed up for Go Round FC

“We unveiled three players from Nembe City, Kola Awe, Tega and Nnanna who were central defenders for Nembe City lasts season.

“Ugochukwu Ikechukwu who was at Bayelsa United has also joined. We have a tradition of very young players but we had to go for these experienced ones to help our course for promotion,” Uboh said.

Kostelecky Pockets Second World Cup Gold Back To Back At The Closing Event Of The 2015 ISSF Shotgun World Cup In Larnaca

ISSF – INTERNATIONAL SHOOTING SPORT FEDERATION

Czech Republic’s Kostelecky won the last match of the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Larnaca, Cyprus, which saw the participation of 490 shooters coming from 77 countries.

Today’s Trap Men final won by the 2008 Olympic Champion David Kostelecky of the Czech Republic closed the 2015 ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Larnaca, Cyprus.

The 39-year old shooter climbed atop of the podium after a breathtaking gold medal match, where he met and beat Turkey’s 27-year old Yavuz Ilnam with a score of 13 to 12 hits. The two athletes shot neck and neck right to the last shot, when Ilnam missed his very last target, leaving the brightest medal to Kostelecky.

2008 Olympic Champion Kostelecky had never won a world cup gold before this season. He made it for the first time at the last world cup stage in Al Ain (UAE), and he repeated himself today, at the Olympic shooting range of Larnaca.

“It’s crazy, I had never won a gold in 20 years, and now I got two back to back. Sometimes life is strange.” Said the Czech champion after the final. “You can’t drop many targets these days, if you want to make it into the final. The results of the competitors are so high that there’s not much room for mistakes. Rio 2016 is the goal for every shooter, now. But that’s still far away, 14 months, you never know what it can happen in between. I am trying to stay focused on this year’s competitions.” He added, speaking about his future plans.

Silver medallist Ilnam celebrated with Kostelecky, in spite of losing the medal match. Indeed, not only he won his very first world cup medal, but he also claimed a Rio 2016 Olympic quota for Turkey. Quite an achievement for the 27-year old athlete ranked 88th in the world, and who had never made it into a final round of a world cup event, before.

The Bronze medal match finished in favour of Croatia’s Josip Glasnovic (31), who beat Finland’s first-time finalist Vesa Tornroos with a net score of 15 to 10 target. As the Croatian shooter had already won an Olympic quota at the last world cup in Al Ain (where he claimed Silver), today’s second Rio 2016 qualification spot went to Finland.
The fourth world cup stage of the year kicked off on here in Larnaca on the 26th of April. 490 shooters coming from 77 countries arrived in Cyprus to compete in the five Olympic shotgun events, trying to secure one of the 10 Rio 2016 Olympic quotas up for grabs.

Gold medalist David KOSTELECKY of the Czech Republic competes in the Trap Men Finals at the Larnaca Olympic Shooting Range during Day 8 of the ISSF World Cup Shotgun on May 3, 2015 in Larnaca, Cyprus. (Photo by Nicolo Zangirolami)

The competition started off with the Italian flag waiving upon the highest step of the podium, as Diana Bacosi won her second world cup back to back at the Skeet Women final beating China’s Yu Xiumin in the gold medal match. The Skeet Women’s Bronze went to one of the youngest finalists of this year’s ISSF World Cup Series, USA’s Morgan Craft, 21, who shoot her way to the podium by winning a qualification’s shoot-off with 71+6 hits, and then shuttered 14 targets in the semi-final. At the Bronze medal match, she met and defeat Thailand’s Sutia Jiewchaloemmit with a score of 15 to 13 hits, pocketing her very first ISSF world cup medal. Olympic qualification spots went to China and Thailand, as both Italy and USA have already achieved the maximum number of quotas for this event.

The world cup stage continued the following day, on the 27th of April, with the Skeet Men final which saw the success of Saif Bin Futtais of the United Arab Emirates. Bin Futtais claimed the brightest medal as he beat Sweden’s Marcus Svensson with a shoot-off score of 4 to 3 hits, after the Gold medal match where the two tied with 14 hits each. Both the Gold and Silver medallist qualified for Rio 2016. Anton Astakhov of the Russian Federation, participating in his first ISSF world cup final round, secured the Bronze medal beating Great Britain’s Jeremy Harry Bird by 13 to 12 hits in the Bronze medal match. Cyprus medal hope Georgios Achilleos did not make it to the podium, but he equalled the current Skeet Men world record during the qualification phase of the competition, with a perfect score of 125 hits out of 125 targets.

The 2014 ISSF World Championship silver medallist and world’s #6 Antonino Barillà of Italy claimed the Double Trap Men gold on the 29th of April, at the third final match of this world cup in Larnaca. The Italian athlete beat Guatemala’s first-time world cup finalist Enrique Brol – ranked 30th in the world – with 29 hits in the Gold medal match to Brol’s 27. Brol and Bronze medallist Pan Qiang (30) of the People’s Republic of China clinched the two Olympic quotas, as Barillà had already won one at last year’s world championship.

The Trap Women final, conducted yesterday, 2nd of May, turned in favour of Finland, as the 2008 Olympic Champion Satu Makela-Nummela claimed Gold and clinched a Rio 2016 Olympic quota place for her country, beating Tatiana Barsuk of the Russian Federation with a score of 13 to 12 hits. Spain’s Fatima Galvez pocketed the Bronze, beating the Australian first-time finalist Emma Elizabeth Cox at the end of spine-chilling shoot-off. The two athletes tied with 9 hits at the end of the medal match, and then continued shooting in the tie-breaker. They both missed their first three shoot-off targets, and it was the fourth clay to decide the medal in favour of the Spanish shooter.

After five events, the Italian team finished atop of the medals standings, with two Gold medals. The Czech Republic, Finland and the United Arab Emirates placed in second with one Gold medal each. At the same time, the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation finished in the spotlights by securing two Rio 2016 Olympic quota place each, out of the 10 quotas up for grabs here in Larnaca.

The ISSF World Cup Series moves now on to America, as the fifth world cup leg of the year is going to be held in Fort Benning, USA. There, the best rifle and pistol shooters of the world will meet from the 11th through the 19th of May, competing for 24 Olympic quota spots and to collect qualification points for this year’s ISSF World Cup Final.

NBBF Hammer Falls on Oluyole Warriors, Kada Stars and Civil Defenders

With the first phase of the Zenith Bank Female Basketball league ongoing at the national stadium in Abuja, the board of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) sat on Sunday to address major issues brought forward by the technical committee as regards the National domestic leagues and the national team programmes, with far reaching decision made and some already being implemented.

After a comprehensive update on both the current DStv Premier Basketball League and the Zenith Bank basketball league season, major issues pertaining to clubs owing players were brought forward by the technical committee and disciplinary action will be taken against Premier league teams, Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan and Kada Stars of Kaduna for owing their players sign on fees and salaries from last season.

The Civil Defenders (Civil Defence team) in the lower league were also in for the NBBF hammer for bringing the game into disrepute by deliberately failing to honour their match against Hoop ‘n’ Read in the National Div-1 championship in November.

Also the Technical committee of the Nigerian basketball Federation briefed the board on the debt stock of the federation and their efforts to offset them, with the board endorsing some of the strategies suggested to help ease the process.

Asaba, Ilorin Tussle for Zenith League Phase 2 hosting rights…

The technical committee in the board meeting on Sunday also placed before the board the bids from Kwara State and Delta State for hosting rights for the 2nd phase of the 2015 Zenith Bank Women Basketball League.

With the ancient city of Ilorin hosting the last 2 editions of the 2nd phase of the Zenith Bank female league, the city longs to host the national women’s Premier basketball event for the 3rd straight year.

Spectators at the Zenith Bank Basketball League

However, there 2015 hosting rights faces tough opposition from one of the strongholds of female basketball in Nigeria, Asaba, Delta state.
Asaba, perennial hosts of the 2nd phase in the early years of the Zenith league long to get back the rights, having missed out in the last two editions and cities of Akure and Kaduna also playing host of the 2nd phase in times past.

The board will announce the host for the 2nd phase as soon as the 1st phase is over following a close look at the fulfilment of the criteria set by the technical committee for both cities to win the hosting rights for the Zenith Bank Female Basketball league.

Ma Long is the 2015 Men’s World Table Tennis Champion!

The 53rd World Championships concluded at the Suzhou International Expo Centre tonight, with the remaining two titles, Men’s Singles and Women’s Doubles World titles being decided.

World number one MA Long (CHN) became the Men’s World Champion for the first time, in front of the capacity crowd in Suzhou.

With this being his fourth time participation at world championships, MA played his first World Championships Men’s Singles gold medal stage tonight in Suzhou. His best result at past world championships was in the semifinals, where he met the now retired WANG Hao (CHN) on all three occasions.

The 26 year old faced compatriot FANG Bo who eliminated hot favorites XU Xin (CHN) as well as two-time defending and Olympic champion ZHANG Jike (CHN) en route to the finals.

Determined to get hold of the St. Bride Vase, MA was all fired up to dominate the court in front of the home crowd. Despite all of FANG’s efforts to turn the situation in his favour, MA won 4-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-13, 11-4) to claim the title that has eluded the world number one all these years.

Ma Long (CHN) .QOROS 2015 World Table Tennis Championships,26 Apr 2015 – 03 May 2015, Suzhou, CHN, photo credit ITTF Media

“It is like a dream come true. Having losing in the semifinals at the three world championships previously, honestly I have a lot of pressure to earn this title. At the end of the day I think these was worth it.” shared the newly crowned champion.

In the other gold medal match of the night, DING Ning (CHN), who reclaimed her Women’s Singles title last night in the most dramatic fashion, put up a good fight with partner LI Xiaoxia (CHN) in the Women’s Doubles gold medal match.

Facing teammates LIU Shiwen and ZHU Yuling, DING/LI pulled off amazing rallies during the match to take the lead early in the match despite DING having difficulty moving around with her sprained ankle. LIU/ZHU, equally determined to take home the title, trailed closely behind in the match.

LIU/ZHU eventually prevailed 4-3 (8-11, 11-8, 3-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 11-8) to emerge victorious to claim the title. This defeat means that DING Ning has now played four Women’s Doubles finals in a row and have lost them all!

LIU who lost her women’s singles title against DING the night before, expressed “I was very upset after the loss last night. While I know I only have to accept it. I’d like to thank my coach, teammates and friends for their support.”

The 24 year old added “Since I had doubles to play today, I knew I had to be mentally tough. I cherish this match because I’ve never won the championship in single’s event before and I knew I had to give it my best effort tonight.”

Other than the two World Championship titles that was won, Japan’s 14 year old sensation Mima ITO won the Qoros Newcomer award for her outstanding performance at the Qoros 2015 World Championships. She battled her way to the quarterfinals on her debut here in Suzhou.

XU Xin and ZHANG Jike, Qoros 2015 World Table Tennis Championships photo credit ITTF Media

Gold Medalists at the Qoros 2015 World Championships:

Men’s Singles: MA Long (CHN)
Women’s Singles: DING Ning (CHN)
Men’s Doubles: ZHANG Jike / XU Xin (CHN)
Women’s Doubles: LIU Shiwen / ZHU Yuling (CHN)
Mixed Doubles: XU Xin (CHN) / YANG Haeun (KOR)

#ITTFWorlds2015 Statistics:

Total unique viewership on CCTV yesterday (2 May 2015): 99,027,000 which is the 6th highest rating sports show on CCTV in 2015

Total viewership between 27 April – 2 May: 223,332,000

Total unique people have seen content on ITTF’s facebook page between 26 April – 2 May: 2,373,752

Total unique people who have visited ITTF’s website between 26 April – 2 May: 8,560,318

With the perfect closing of the Qoros 2015 World Team Table Tennis Championships, the 54th edition of the World Championships will be staged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in February 201