As preparations for the football event of Rio Olympics hot up, Coach Samson Siasia has handed down a warning to all the invited foreign –based players for the Suwon Invitational Tournament to report to camp on Wednesday or forget about making the team to the Games. Siasia handed down the deadline after Monday evening’s training […]
via Olympics: Siasia Sets Wednesday Deadline — newfanzoneblog
Ahead of the IAAF inspection team’s visit Monday next week and as part of Russian Athletics Federations “house cleaning” exercise four Russian athlete have been banned by Russia’s Olympic Committee.
Maria Nikolayeva and Yelena Nikulina have both been banned for four each, while Anna Lukyanova and Irina Maracheva both received to year bans each.
Russia Athletes and officials have been enmeshed in Doping Scandals ever since the release of the World Anti-Doping Agency independent commission report which revealed that there as been “state sponsored doping” in Russian Athletics, several IAAF officials and Russian Athletics officials have also been accused bribery and corruption, This led the IAAF to suspend the Russian federation in November of 2015.
The Russians are in a race against the clock to make that the suspension is lifted in time for their athletes to participate in several meets before the Olympics in Rio.
Coach Samson Siasia has affirmed that no player is guaranteed a shirt in his squad for the men’s football tournament of this year’s Olyimpics, taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The former Super Eagles’ manager has also disclosed that the African champions will commence preparations for the Rio Olympics in the first week of February.
Speaking from his base in the United States of America, where he is presently on vacation, Siasia disclosed that himself and his assistants will use the February camping in Abuja to see any new player could add value to the team that won the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal last month.
“Since we qualified for the football event of the Rio Olympics, a lot of players both at home and abroad have been calling me that they want to play for the country, so myself and my assistants intend to use the first week of camping to see these players who will bear the cost of their trip to the camp and accommodate themselves. Any of them selected will now be added to the players who made us proud in Senegal for a full camping. Mind you, no player is yet guaranteed a shirt in the team, as I have always said only the best legs will make it to Rio de Janeiro.
“For now, time is not on our hands and as such, we need to start work in a bid to present a team that will make Nigerians proud in Brazil. For me, after winning silver at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, my next target is to go all out for gold in Rio, and I strongly believe we have the players that can achieve this.”
Siasia, who also led the U-20 boys to the African title and runner-up position at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in The Netherlands in 2005, stated that he intends to utilize all the FIFA windows available to him and his technical crew in seeing players at close range.
“For now my plans are to utilize fully all the FIFA windows beginning with the one in March, with the hope of taking players selected to an accessible country in Europe where all the overseas -based players can come with ease, play one or two friendly games and then have them return to their respective clubsides. ”
The former Super Eagles’ captain added that for now, he has not made up his mind on the issue of which over-aged player(s) to take to the Olympics.
CAVB Continental Cup- 2nd round Pool B
Gambia women beach volleyball team shocked Ghana in the opening game of the Group B African beach volleyball Continental Cup which is considered as qualifiers for Rio Olympics 4-0 at Triechville Sports Complex in Abidjan. Gambia surprised their fellow West Africans after 2hours of stiff resistance. Gambian pairs Sainabou Tambedou/Aminata Gaye, Fatoumatta Ceesay/ Abie Kujabie set Triechville Sports Complex ablaze when they pulled the first set (21-14, 21-13).
The Ghanaians opted for an unlikely comeback in the second round with Gloria Addah scoring points for the team The Gambia remained firm in their court. The Ghanaian side came up very strong in the ultimate round winning 21-18 but the Gambian pair of Fatoumatta Ceesay and Abie Kujabi drew fresh blood to overcome the towering Ghanaian team. This is the first major victory for the Gambia women against an opponent outside Zone 2.
“It really was one step at a time, and we knew we would get there if we just took it moment by moment,” Sainabou Tambedou said. “It’s super exciting now that we’re finally through to the next round of the continental cup. “It’s our togetherness, there is no magic. We are all friends on and off the court, and that’s really helpful. We all trust each other on the court, and that’s very important.” That trust will especially factor in against Burkina Faso.
Meanwhile the host Ivory Coast lost to their neighbors Ghana 4-0 earlier on in the men’s category
Day one results
Women
Gambia A v Ghana B 2-0 (21-14, 21-13)
Gambia B v Ghana A 2-0 (21-12, 21-10)
Gambia A v Ghana A 2-0 (21-17, 21-11)
Gambia B Ghana B 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 15-11)
Men
Ivory Coast A v Ghana B 0-2 (16-21, 15-21)
Ivory Coast B v Ghana A 0-2 (26-28, 13-21)
Ivory Coast A v Ghana A 0-2 (20-22, 7-21)
Ivory Coast B v Ghana B 0-2 (10-21, 19-21
Muhammed L. Saidykhan
From the World Championships in Glasgow to the Olympics in Rio ! For the elite of the Gymnastics world, the big Olympic dream could begin to become a reality at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships October 23 to November 1 in the Britain’s fourth largest city.
With 594 athletes representing 87 countries from Algeria to Vietnam registered to compete, the 46th edition of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships breaks all previous records in terms of participation. During the competition, other records stand to fall as well.
The uncontested king of Gymnastics since 2009, Kohei Uchimura will seek to extend his incredible winning streak in Glasgow. The 26-year-old from Japan, already owner 16 World and five Olympic medals, has won the last five consecutive World All-around titles, in addition to the Olympic gold in 2012.
The American Simone Biles, 18, will try to become the first gymnast to win three consecutive women’s World All-around titles. Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina is currently the only gymnast in history to have won three World All-around golds, though she did not do it in consecutive years (1997, 2001 and 2003).
In addition to almost all 2014 World champions, a large number of 2012 Olympic gold medallists will be present in Glasgow, among them Gabrielle Douglas (USA), Alexandra Raisman (USA), Arthur Zanetti (BRA), Krisztian Berki (HUN) and Epke Zonderland (NED).
The Glasgow Worlds will be all the more suspenseful because the quest for World gold doubles as the first of two qualifying competitions for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Following the qualification competitions (October 24 for the women and October 26 for the men), the top eight teams will secure the right to send five gymnasts to compete in the team event at next summer’s Olympics. Teams ranked ninth through 16th will have a second chance to qualify at the Pre-Olympic Test Event in Rio April 16-19, 2016.
For gymnasts whose nations do not advance to the Games or the Test Event, winning a medal in individual event finals October 31 and November 1 is the surest way to obtain their ticket to the Rio Games.
The SSE Hydro in Glasgow offers a unique backdrop for showcasing the performers of one of the most popular sports in the Olympic programme. A giant 230 square meter screen will put spectators right in the middle of the action, while the judges will be seated at the sides of the arena, allowing maximum visibility of the gymnasts.
The intention is to create “a ground-breaking competition for spectators,” said Matthew Greenwood, competition’s manager of the Glasgow 2015 Organising Committee, during an orientation meeting with the delegations.
“We all know that organising a World Championships takes an incredible amount of resources and energy. Glasgow has surpassed our expectations, and I would like to extend my thanks to the organising committee,” added Nellie Kim, President of the FIG Women’s Technical Committee. “Every little detail of these Championships is truly impressive, and I am sure that the experience, the effort and the wisdom put into the process of preparation will lead us all to a truly unique event.”
The stakes at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao, taking place from 14-20 September 2015, will be raised with Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition places on the line.
As the Asian continental qualification regatta for the Men’s and Women’s 470, Finn and Nacra 17 the competition in Qingdao is set to be fierce with a depth of international sailing talent within the respective fleets. Alongside Olympic qualification, more than 240 sailors from 37 nations will be gunning for a share of the $150,000 USD prize fund, ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots as well as a World Cup medal.
Qingdao will be the final chance for Asian Nacra 17 sailors to qualify for Rio 2016 after 13 spots were distributed at the 2014 ISAF Worlds and 2015 Nacra 17 Worlds. The 470 and Finn sailors will have another opportunity later on in the year at their respective World Championships.
The last time an Asian crew, who weren’t representing the host nation, sailed in an Olympic multihull competition was Seoul 1988 as Naoyuki Ogawa and Takashi Tamura flew the Japanese flag on their Tornado. Fast forward to 2015 and crews from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Thailand have an opportunity to qualify for an Olympic Games outright and on merit.
Japan’s Hiroki Goto and Wakako Tabata arguably come into the regatta as the pair to beat. Goto and Tabata finished ahead of Justin Liu and Denise Lim (SIN) by two spots at the 2015 Nacra 17 Worlds and five clear of Hong Kong’s Tat Choi Fund and Yu Ting Chan.
Goto has hopes of qualifying for Rio but his intention and drive is to inspire the youth of the country to sail multihulls ahead of Tokyo 2020, a home Olympic Games.
“There is almost no multihull sailing in Japan whatsoever,” commented Goto. “We have a home [Olympic] Games in Tokyo and we need someone there. It would be ideal to get someone in the Games before. I wanted someone to start but no one came forward so I went for it.
“The change to the qualification is good. It would be so tough otherwise for example Africa and Asia to qualify for the Olympics.
“I really hope that I can encourage the younger generation to take up multihull. I am 42 and I want to show if I can do it, they can definitely do it.”
Goto’s hopes could turn into reality in Qingdao but the Singaporean and Hong Kong teams will provide a real challenge whilst a contingent of four Chinese teams will benefit from knowing their home waters.
Whoever takes that spot will also book their ticket to the Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final making it a double whammy from Qingdao.
The Men’s 470 will be one of the most hotly contested battles with eight nations, China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand all battling for one Olympic spot.
Singapore’s Darren Choy, who will be sailing with Jeremiah Yeo, has had a feel of what the Olympics is like after competing at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games and is aiming for the real deal. “The Youth Olympic Games made me want to experience the Olympic Games and feel the true spirit in the games because it is the highest prestige in the sport and to compete for Singapore would be an honour,” said Choy.
He continued, “The event is a really important one for us. It is our only ticket now to the 2016 Rio Olympics, as well as the opportunity to show that we are worth sponsoring and funding. I would love to qualify as this would give me a taste on what the Games are like and to experience it would be a dream for me.”
Compared to those around them, Choy and Yeo are two of the youngest sailors in the fleet and miss out on some big time experience that their rivals hold and Choy was quick to identify his main rivals for Qingdao when asked, “It would definitely have to be the top Chinese and Korean teams as they have been on the Olympic circuit for many years, thus have a lot of experience. We’ve been working on some speed technique and race preparation in Singapore and I’m aiming to be the top Asian nation, and to qualify Singapore for the Rio Olympics.”
China will be represented by 13 Men’s 470 teams in Qingdao and with a strong presence on the start line, could be viewed as the favourites to take the Olympic spot. However, in a fleet of 32 that also features top 470 sailors such as David Bargehr and Lukas Mahr (AUT) and Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera (ESP), anything can happen.
In the Women’s 470, the fight will be between Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. The strong teams from China and Japan qualified at the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds making it a three horse race for qualification.
As for the battle to Abu Dhabi, defending champions Mengxi Wei and Yani Xu (CHN) return to defend their title but will face stiff competition from Angela Pumariega and Patricia Cantero Reina (ESP) and Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka (JPN).
In the Finn fleet, eight boats will take to the start line and include seven Chinese sailors and one Iranian. The odds will be heavily stacked towards the Chinese sailors with regards to the one Olympic spot on offer and the Abu Dhabi World Cup final spot but Iran’s Ahmad Ahmadi will fight hard across the week.
Racing across the nine Olympic fleets is scheduled to commence on 16 September with Medal Races bringing the regatta to a close on 20 September.
University of Buffalo junior Ike Onwukanjo has been Invited to the Nigerian national sevens side this summer as they try to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.
The Nigerian Rugby Football Federation has been looking for overseas players eligible to compete for Nigeria as a way to boost their efforts to qualify for the Rio Olympics. Onwukanjo holds dual United States and Nigerian citizenship. The team will compete in a series of tournaments this summer in Europe and Africa and will later compete for the Africa Cup Championships.
“Being invited to play for Nigeria is a tremendous honor,” said Onwukanjo of his selection. “It’s a challenge that I am really looking forward to.”
Ike began his rugby career as a sophomore at New Rochelle High School and joined UB Men’s Rugby upon his arrival in Buffalo where he quickly established himself as a starter on both their fifteens and sevens sides.
Ike’s strong play in sevens led to an invitation to last year’s Northeast ODA Sevens camp where he had the opportunity to train with some of the best sevens players and coaches from across the Northeast.
“The ODA was a great learning experience for me. I really learned a lot about what’s required both physically and mentally to compete at the next level,” said Onwukanjo. “And the things I learned at the ODA I was able to apply at UB for our first year moving up.”
Onwukanjo was referring to UB’s first season in the tough Rugby East conference where they failed to win a league game last fall. The dual environmental studies and paralegal major said despite last season’s results, he is looking forward to UB’s second season of D1A rugby.
“The coaches told us there would be no easy games in Rugby East, but I don’t think we fully understood how high the competition level would be,” Onwukango said. “This year we all know what to expect and know how hard we have to work to get ready. I can’t wait.
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