Nigeria Reclaims Men’s Throne In Table Tennis At All African Games As Egypt Retains Women’s Title

With much efforts and a lot of tactical discipline, Egypt defeated Nigeria to retain the women’s team title at the 2015 African Games.

It was two wins from Dina Meshref and a win from Nadeen El-Dawlatly that salvaged the victory for Egypt in an epic final.

Also, veteran Segun Toriola turned back the clock when he recorded an emphatic victory over Mohamed El-Beiali and Omar Assar to help Nigeria reclaim the men’s team throne ahead of the North Africans. Since the tournament began, Toriola remained unbeaten with this needed victory for Nigeria.

“This is not the first time I will be playing the deciding match but my coach told me to concentrate. But I must say it was more difficult for me in the match. I remained focus and I am happy that I won the match for my country. I feel good winning the title again and I am now strong mentally,” said elated EL-DAWLATLY Nadeen.

Dina MESHREF, Egypt

Meshref Dina added: “I am very proud that we won the title this year because looking at the roll of honours, Nigeria has won the African Games title more than any country in Africa. So I am very happy that we were able to retain the title we won four years ago in Mozambique. This goes to show the Egypt is improving and our generation has really worked hard for this success.”

Segun Toriola explaining a point to Nigerian teammates

On the victory over Egypt, Toriola said: “I think the competition just started with this victory because we still have five medals to fight four. But prior to the match I told my teammates that we should have confidence even when we were down 2-1. I knew that if I had to beat Omar Assar I need to be confident and not to play with any caution. If I am too conscious I will make mistakes against Omar. I think it was the confidence in the team that gave us the victory.”

Aruna Quadri

For the 2014 ITTF Star Player, Aruna Quadri, it was a sweet victory. “In our last meeting he defeated me but I could remember that I had also beaten him twice. But today I found an answer to him because we play the same style and he believes my style suits him. I am so grateful to God that I was able to find an answer to Mohammed El-Beiali tonight. This is a big victory for our country after our women’s team narrowly lost to Egypt earlier,” Quadri said.

2015 All African Games: Nigerian Women Stun Home Team, Congo Brazzaville To Hit Final

Nigeria female team were in fine form against home team, Congo Brazzaville after a convincing 3-0 semifinal win in table tennis event of the ongoing African Games in Brazzaville.

The venue of the encounter went into total silence after the final match as the Nigerian ladies jubillate over the hard-earned victory.

Olufunke Oshonaike, Edem Offiong and Cecilia Otu-Akpan were the heroes of the day as they played their hearts out in the encounter which witnessed a lot of intimidation from the home fans with their Chinese imports bowing to the Nigerian.

However, Oshonaike began the rout with an emphatic 3-1 win over Chinese-born Yuheng Li while Edem Offiong was merciless against ageing Han Xing with another 3-1.

The 3-0 bashing was rounded by Edem and Otu-Akpan in doubles but it was not without much efforts from the Nigerians.

Nigerian Women Stuns Home Team, Congo Brazzaville To Hit Final

Even when the match was at 2-2 in the doubles, the Nigerian ladies played with a lot of confidence and this paid off for them with a 3-2 win to give Nigeria 3-0 victory. The win qualified Nigeria for final against their arch-rival, Egypt.

Earlier, Egypt had overcome Algeria easily with a 3-0 bashing.

The finals of the men and women team events hold on Sunday September 13.

Commonwealth Medalists Top List Of Taekwondo Team To 2015 All African Games

Commonwealth gold medalists, Abubakar Adamu Isah and Mohammed Jamilu topped the list of 16 athletes listed by the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) for the 2015 African Games in Congo Brazzaville.

Isah, who will be competing in the men’s-54kg, is one of the experienced athletes in the team having featured at the 2014 World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World Junior Championship in Chinese Taipei as well as the maiden at the 2014 Africa Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana.

Medallists at 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Games [L-R: Adaeze Asigbe, Chika Chukwumerije, Shola Olowookere, Jamilu Mohammed, Esuku Josephine, Segun Olushola, Adamu Abubakar Isah, Uzoamaka Otuadinma, Ebere Blessing Nwakanma]

Like Isah, Jamilu (-58kg) is also an established taekwondist having won gold at the 2011 African Games in Mozambique as we as a quarterfinalist at the 2015 Alexandria Open in Egypt.

In the absence of his sibling, Chika, 2011 African Games gold medalist and captain of Team Nigeria, Uche Chukwumerije who will jostle for a medal in the men’s +87kg will also be part of the team.

Another experience taekwondist in the team is 2011 African Games bronze medalist, Sunday Onofe who will fight for a medal in the men’s -80kg.

Other members of the men’s team are Edwin Samson Nduka (-63kg), Kolade Paul (-68kg), Olushola Segun (-74kg), and Ayodele Temitope Ebenezer (-87kg).

Female Members of the Taekwondo Team to the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Games

2014 African Championship bronze medalist, Joy Ekhator (-49kg) will lead the female team as the most experienced athlete.

Others are Jimoh Morufat (-46kg), Chinazum Nwosu (-52kg), Fatimoh Abdullahi (-57kg), Ndu Vivian (-63kg), Ifeoma Dennis (-67kg), Uzoamaka Otuadinma (-73kg) and Esther Uzoukwu (+73kg).

At the last African Games in Mozambique, Nigeria settled for fourth place with two gold, one silver and seven bronze medals while Egypt, Tunisia and Senegal finished as the top three teams in the taekwondo event.

ITTF names two Nigerian umpires for 2015 African Games

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has listed two Nigerian umpires to be on duty at the 2015 All African Games holding in Congo Brazzaville.

The umpires – John Peters and Cecilia Arinye, who are among the top rated official in the world will be handling proceedings in the table tennis event of the multi-sports championships.

The duo also officiated at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland and they have handled matches at world and continental championships.

Peters is the longest serving table tennis umpire in Nigeria having officiated at the 1973. 1987, 2003, 2007 and 2011 African Games and for his uprightness and understanding of the game, he was appointed to officiate the finals of the 2013 World Junior Championships in Morocco and 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.

His recent engagement was being the deputy referee at the just concluded 2015 ITTF African Clubs Championships in Cameroon.
Arinye, a former national player is the director of sports, University of Lagos has also officiated at previous African Games and he is one of the respected umpires in Africa.

NTTF Gets German Coach For 2015 All African Games

To strengthen the technical crew for the 2015 All African Games, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has engaged the services of former German national coach, Martin Adomeit as its technical adviser.

However, the hiring of the coach was made possible through the financial support of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

The German tactician guided Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri to the quarterfinal stage of the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Dusseldorf,
Germany and he is expected to arrive Nigeria this week to start working with the team in readiness for the games.

From 1978 to 1980 Martin Adomeit worked at youth level of clubs with Germany-based Soest TV and TuS Ampen. In 1981 he joined the TuS Jahn Soest and was part of the technical crew of the team’s female team in the Bundesliga League and in 1984, he took over as coach of the women’s team of the club. He also served from 1988 to 1997 as honourary coach of the West German Table Tennis Association (WTTA).

In 1996, he was appointed as an assistant coach by the German Table Tennis Association DTTB and in 1997 he ended all previous activities at club levels and took over the post of national coach of the German female team.

Under his tutelage, the German women’s team won three consecutive times the European League as well as winner of the 1998 and 1999 European Ladies Team Championship while in 2000, the team won silver.

For this feat, the Association of German Table Tennis Coaches named Adomeit as the coach of the year in 1999.

After the poor outing of the German team at the 2000 ITTF World Cup, Adomeit stepped down and was replaced by Richard Prause as women’s coach. Adomeit now assumed responsibility for the female junior team.

Martin Adomeit

From August 2004 to April 2007, Adomeit worked as coach and sporting director in Luxembourg while he also handled the Belgium national team from 2008 to 2010.

From 2010, he has been working as Independent coach in camps for players and coaches for the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and ITTF, German Organising Committee (OC), coach education in Germany as well as personal coach to top players across the globe.

The 51 year-old Dortmund-born tactician is a licensed coach, who studied at the German Sport University in Cologne.

Toriola, Oshonaike lead Nigerian team to 2015 African Games

Two of Nigeria’s most respected table tennis stars, Segun Toriola and Olufunke Oshonaike will lead Nigeria’s nine-man team to the 2015 African Games holding in Congo Brazzaville.

Toriola, who is Africa’s most decorated player, Toriola and Oshonaike will both be making their seventh appearance at the game since their debut at Cairo 1991 in Egypt.

According to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) the nine-man team was selected based on their ranking coupled with series of trails organized in Lagos in the last three weeks.

Funke Oshonaike. photo credit ITTF Media

Toriola is the most successful player in the history of African Games having won the men’s singles title four consecutive times in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007.

Like Toriola, Oshonaike is also the most successful female player in the history of the games having claimed the women’s singles title twice in 1999 and 2003 while she was runner’s up in 1991 and 2011 will be making her seventh appearance at the multi-sports championships.

Toriola, a six-time Olympian will be joined in the men’s team by 2014 ITTF Star Player, Aruna Quadri, Bode Abiodun, Seun Ajetunmobi and Ojo Onaolapo.

Besides Quadri and Ajetunmobi who had featured at the previous African Games, Abiodun and Onaolapo will be making their debut at the games

Oshonaike will spearhead the female team which include African Games women’s singles defending champion, Edem Offiong, Cecilia Otu-Akpan and Rasheedat Ogundele.

Nigerian Women’s Team, at the 2015 ITTF-Africa Senior Championships

Also, Offiong and Otu-Akpan will be making their fourth appearance at the games having debuted at Abuja 2003 in Nigeria. The duo is also the women’s doubles defending champions having retained the title they won in Algiers 2007 at the 2011 edition in Mozambique.

Ogundele, who is only debutant in the female team returned to the national team having had a stint with the team to various continental and international tournaments.

AAG: NSA Charges Team Nigeria To Go For Glory

As the 2015 All African Games gathers momentum with participating African countries intensifying training in preparation for the Games, organizers of the Nigerian Sports Award (NSA) have urged the Nigerian contingent to the Games to go for glory at the event by winning all available medals. The All African Games (AAG) also known as Pan-African Games or African Games which takes place every four years, will mark the 11th edition and its 50th anniversary as well as a return to Brazzaville which hosted the first edition in July, 1965, this edition. The 2015 All African Games (AAG) is scheduled to hold between 4th and 19th September 2015 in Brazzaville, Congo. According to Kayode Idowu, the Executive Director, Unmissable Incentives, promoters of the Nigerian Sports Award, the Nigerianathletes must give their all and stay focused, to outshine all comers and improve on previous performances at the Games, to compensate Nigerian Sports fans on the lackluster performance of the Flying Eagles and Super Falcons in recent tournaments.

Nigerian Sports Award 2015

‘’Nigerians are expecting so much from the Team Nigeria at the forthcoming All African Games, they want to see the team winning all available medals and dominating the different sports that they will be partaking in, to bring smiles to their faces’’ he said. He noted that, though the Nigerian U-23 Football Team under the tutelage of Coach Samson Siasia are drawn in the “group of death” with Ghana, Egypt and Senegal, the team must do everything everything possible to qualify from the group stage. Kayode Idowu also charged the National Sports Commission (NSC) to ensure that the country presents her best legs for the Games and enjoys the needed support from the Commission to excel. Team Nigeria’s participation at the Games would be in 21 out of the total of 32, covering Track & Field, Football, Basketball and Lawn Tennis. The country has participated in 10 editions of the games winning a total of 934 medals, comprised of 334 gold, 305 silver and 295 bronze. The country also emerged winner in 2008 when she hosted the games.

Fix Our Facilities! Save Our Game #SaveOurGame

A few weeks ago we were invited to join the NSC DG on a facility tour/inspection of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. Nigeria . here are some of the pictures i took.

In a few weeks/months time Nigerian Athletes will be in Brazzaville Congo for the 2015 All African Games and they will be expected to “excel” regardless of the kind of preparation they have had.

Fast forward to 2016 and it will be time for another Jamboree to Rio for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Australians started camping well over a year ago and of course so many other serious minded nations have already started preparations for this event.

In Nigeria will wait until the last minute for us to invite athletes to camp then bemoan the fate of the athletes when they fail to “perform” up to standard.

We will then announce that its time to go back to the drawing board and start the whole circle all over again.

While Nigeria has got an abundance of talent in virtually every sport, the state of our Sporting Facilities can be said to be a reflection of the managers/administrators of Nigerian Sports.

I can recall that i also posted pictures of the same facility (National Stadium Surulere) when the then newly appointed minister of sports Tammy Danagogo came calling and yet nothing has been done about it.

Swimming pool of the National Stadium Surulere

Swimming pool of the National Stadium Surulere

The Olympic Size Swimming pool of the National Stadium Surulere

There is an abundance of talent in Nigeria, but how will an athlete train with these type of facilities?

The Only positive part of the Inspection of the National Stadium is the newly completed Hostel/hotel. But even that facility is already bedevilled with the unfortunate luck of being located next to a “beer parlour” i pity who ever gets the Job of Being camp commandant.

We want to excel in our sporting endeavours, we want our athletes to be the best amongst their peers but yet we find it difficult to give them the basic tools required to excel.

The National Sports Commission has got to go back to the basics, or the maintenance of these facilities should be outsourced to companies that have got the expertise to keep them shipshape.

Pictures of how the Beautiful edifice thats the Abuja National Stadium was allowed to get into a state of disrepair still haunts me as i write this, and it is common knowledge that the story is the same across Nigeria.

A recent trip to the USA gave yours truly a first hand look at how and why countries like America will continue to excel in sports for many years to come.

community sports centre in Florida

Virtually every “Estate” (gated community) has got basic well maintained sporting facilities Like, Tennis and Volleyball Courts and even a swimming pool and Gym. Just five minutes walk away is the Community Centre with A Baseball Diamond, two basketball courts two football fields and a play pen for little kids.

It was heartbreaking to note that the facilities at the Average Community Centre in America are far better than what we’ve got at the National Stadium in Lagos.

This is a Call to Us all to join the Campaign to #SaveOurGame by calling on all the decision makers to stop playing yoyo with our Children’s future. Our athletes deserve better.

If we fix the facilities our athletes will get a chance to flourish, Sports is Big Business and Sports can provide employment for tens of thousands of Nigerians. Sports Can Boost the Nigerian Economy in ways that we have not even imagined.

So lets start by fixing our facilities.

The Mainbowl of the National Stadium Surulere

The Mainbowl of the National Stadium Surulere

The Mainbowl of the National Stadium Surulere

Weightlifters training at the National Stadium Surulere

weightlifters training at the National Stadium Surulere

Sola Rogers