National Youth Games, Abuja 2013: A Success

The 1st National youth games which started on Saturday, 7th of December 2013 with the screening process of athletes, which was a fair process seeing many of the contingents who looked above 17 years old screened out of the competition, it also came to an end on Saturday 14th of December 2013 with a closing speech by the Minister of sports Mallam Abdullahi Bolaji.

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Sponsors

Nestle milo was the grand sponsor of the youth games, refreshing everyone who were involved in anyway or the other as far as the National Youth Games was concerned. 

National Youth Games, Abuja 2013.

The National Youth Sports Festival which as been scheduled to hold on the 5th to 15th of this month ( December 2013 ) at Abuja, experienced late arrival of athletes from various states which must have resulted from successive organization of two grassroots development competition, the National School Sports ( Under 13 & under 15 ) which was concluded on the 30th of November 2013 at Kwara state and the 1st National Youth Sports Festival (Under 17) which is the first of it's kind.

Arrival of Athletes

Athletes from various states who where conveyed by their various State Sports commission and sport body where seen to have arrived their camp (NYSC Orientation camp, Abuja) on Friday, 6th of December.

Eagles played a Classy friendly

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African champions Nigeria were on Monday night held to a thrilling 2-2 

draw by Italy in a friendly played in London

Commentary

Italy went in front after 12 minutes, when Guissepe Rossi delightfully chipped over a diving goalkeeper Austin Ejide after he was set up by Mario Balotelli.

Nigeria restored parity on 35 minutes when Bright Dike out jumped his marker to head home off a tailored cross by Shola Ameobi.

Provider Ameobi turned scorer four minutes later when he met Francis Benjamin’s cross from the left with a half volley that gave Sirigu in goal for Italy no chance.

Italy then drew level in the 47th minute, when Emanuele Giaccherini finished off a flowing Italy move that made nonsense of the Eagles defence

Brazil Here we Come.... moment of victory

U. J. ESUENE STADIUM, CALABAR, NIGERIA.

Nigeria finally sealed victory to Brazil 2014 World Cup, view pictures of the moment of joy, the the media, spectators and fans go crazy.

SUPER EAGLES LET'S CONQUER THE WORLD!!!

Stewards who made the match an organized one.

Ticketing

Guinness on point

Ethiopians having fun

Super Eagles vs Walias of Ethiopia : Present and History

           VS

The African champions, Nigeria, look close to reaching a fifth Fifa World Cup finals after winning the first leg of this playoff against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa by 2-1 in spite of concerns over weather. Nigeria's Super Eagles have created a soft-landing for themselves ahead of the second leg clash in Calabar this Saturday and it is now the Ethiopians who have everything to play for.

It is going to be a tough task for the Ethiopians to upset the applecart and go on to win in Calabar where their East African rivals, Kenya, where close to winning during one of the World Cup qualifying games in March this year but for Nnamdi Oduamadi's late strike.

The Walias will definitely fancy their chances of taking a pop at the Super Eagles just as their East African neighbours did on March 23. But they are just one leg away from a first World Cup appearance should they beat Nigeria in Calabar by at least 2-0 or any other two-goal margin.

World Cup history

Talking of their World Cup history, the Ethiopians have none at the finals proper except at qualifying level. The Walya Antelopes have never qualified for the World Cup finals and this is their closest attempt at a first appearance.

Who wears the Crown? : Africa Footballer of the year

Caf has released the names of 25 candidates for this year’s edition. There are 21 names for the best Africa-based player including three from Orlando Pirates

Caf has published the names of players to vie for the 2013 African Player of the Year award, as well as the second prize which goes to the African Player of the Year based in Africa award.

Three South African players are listed in the latter, Orlando Pirates' Lennox Bacela, Senzo Meyiwa and Daine Klate. The Bucs players were rewarded for finishing as runners up in the Caf Champions League.

The long list for the premier individual football accolade on the continent is made of 25 players, with Africa’s reigning champions Nigeria having the highest representatives with five players, followed by Cote D’Ivoire, providing three candidates, one of whom is the reigning African Player of the Year, Yaya Toure and two-time winner Didier Drogba.

Cape Verde, who broke onto the continental scene this year at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, also have two men representing them, Platini and Ryan Mendes.

Egypt’s Mohamed Aboutrika and Ethiopian Saladin Said are the only players based in Africa on the list for the flagship award.

The category for the Africa-based Player of the Year has 21 nominees, including three from Caf Champions League winners Al Ahly.

The winners will be announced at the Glo-Caf Awards Gala scheduled for Thursday, January 9, 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Click to see the full list

Live Update: Super Eagles turned to handball players, final training session

Live images from Super Eagles training ground (UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar)

Super Eagles final training as handball players

It's the final training session for the Super Eagles, who are on the quest to defeat the Walias of Ethiopia who were defeated back home by the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1. 

The Eagles arrived at about 7.30 a.m. along side the technical crew. Spectators, fans, well wishers and media where seen atound the stadium before the arrival of the Eagles.

 Eagles are seen today in a different style of training compared to previous training days, they are seen throwing the football to one another like the handball player do. 

Well wishers, media, spectators and fans where already on ground before the Super Eagles arrived.

Photo credit: Martin Ebor

Live Update: Super Eagles training ground, day 3

Images from Super Eagles training ground ( UJ Esuene Stadium) which is the scheduled match venue for the world cup qualifier against Ethiopian National team on Saturday, 16th of November 2013.

From the image above it's been seen that the Eagles are having a closed training section, whereby spectators, fans, journalists and well wishers hoping to watch the Super Eagles day 3 training section where locked out.

The Eagles arrived the training venue at exactly 3.37p.m. today (14th of November 2013). 

The Eagles resumed camp on Tuesday with few players on ground, but all players where seen at the training pitch as at Wednesday afternoon which was an open training section.

We all wish the Super Eagles best of Luck as they take on Walias of Ethiopia.

THE BADMINTON PRAYER

By: Henry C. Daut 

LORD, bless me as I step into the COURT to play the game of BADMINTON.

Allow me to have a good GRIP of the racket I will hold and the game I will play.

Guide my every STEP as I move to cover every SHOT. 

Help me to deliver the best SERVICE to my fellowmen.

Be it SHORT, LONG or even just a FLICK of a second.

Give me the strength to CLEAR the way to reach greater heights.

U-17 World Cup: FIFA hails Golden Eaglets

FOOTBALL, SPORTS

Blatter says: “On behalf of the international football family, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the team (Golden Eaglets)”

The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) on Wednesday hailed the victorious Golden Eaglets for their triumph at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

A statement from Ademola Olajire, the Assistant Director (Media), Nigeria Football Association (NFA) in Abuja, said FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, sent a letter describing the Golden Eaglets as worthy winners.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Golden Eaglets won their record fourth U-17 World Cup title at the 2013 edition of the tournament which was held from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8.

Nigeria took the title following a 3-0 defeat of Mexico who they had earlier beaten 6-1 in the preliminary stage.

Golden Eaglets set to take on Uruguay: Semi Final Slot

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will be stepping out today, Saturday against their quarter final counterpart Uruguay at the Sharjah Stadium, Nigeria will be seeking to maintain the status it has now attained and fulfil raised hopes.

This will be by beating Uruguay for a place in Tuesday’s semi-finals at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE, where they can face either Honduras or Sweden.

Success against Uruguay in Saturday’s quarter-finals, and progress to the Nov. 8 final match in Abu Dhabi will maintain Nigeria’s status and also keep it as the competition’s most successful team.

FIFA Under-17 World Cup Quarter Final Fixtures

Fifa Under 17 World Cup Quarter-finals

By date

Fri 01/11/13

Honduras U17   14 : 00   Sweden U17
Brazil U17           17 : 00   Mexico U17

 continue reading to.see when Nigeria will be playing

Golden Eaglet thrashes Iran 4-1.... who is next?

The 4 goals to 1 thrashing of Iran by Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have seen them through to the quarter final of the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in UAE. Nigeria will face Uruguay in their next game.

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Three-time champions Nigeria had no trouble with Iran racking up three goals in the first half en route to a 4-1 scoreline. The result sets up a quarter-final date for the Nigerians with Uruguay, a game in which they will likely be missing two of their best attackers – Kalechi Iheanacho and Success Isaac – through injury.

The Golden Eaglets came out all guns blazing in the opening seconds. Iheanacho, who scored four goals in the opener on this very pitch, fired a vicious shot from the corner of the penalty area inside the first minute that only just flew over the bar. It wasn’t long after that Chidiebere Nwakali raced through midfield on the end of an elegant heel flick from Zaharaddeen Bello. His shot from way out, however, also went over the goal.

The Rebirth of El Nino overcomes Man City

Fernando Torres may not be the gleaming model of yesteryear but had the will to make the difference against Manchester city.

This is – perhaps, you never know – exactly how José Mourinho said things might turn out in his most fevered whispers into the ear of Fernando Torres, a centre-forward he inherited a little ungraciously in his second spell at Chelsea, like a chipped Wedgwood gravy boat from a spendthrift aunt, but who has since been the subject of a concerted Mourinho reconditioning project.

Why Sport Needs to be Your Hobby

Have you ever thought why people do sports? Absolutely, many people seem not to know the reasons. As a anectode, there are many people who do sports for nothing around us. Everyday we can encounter with these people. They regularly do sports; however, none of them realizes the benefits and importance of sports. In fact, vice versa, some people want to be fit and attractive, look smart. Unfortunately, these people can’t consider other benefits of sports. In my opinion, there are several benefits of sports that people often do not consider: sports are required to be healthy people, are needed for enjoyment, and are great market for countries’ economies.

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First advantage

The first advantage of sports for people is that they help people be healthy, and be fit. Throughout history, people can’t give up their interest at their body. I belive that now many people love themselves no matter how beautiful or ugly they are. Naturally, people’s first aim should be healthy and fit with the benefits of sports. Due to this fact that Sports keep our body healthy.

Usain Bolt's Secret Unveiled

Scientists say they can explain Usain Bolt's extraordinary speed with a mathematical model. His 100m time of 9.58 seconds during the 2009 World Championships in Berlin is the current world record.

They say their model explains the power and energy he had to expend to overcome drag caused by air resistance, made stronger by his frame of 6ft 5in.

Writing in the European Journal of Physics, the team hope to discover what makes extraordinary athletes so fast.

According to the mathematical model proposed, Bolt's time of 9.58 seconds in Berlin was achieved by reaching a speed of 12.2 metres per second, equivalent to about 27mph.

Did you Know ?

Did you know	Grand Canyon can hold around 900 trillion footballs
Did you know	the average golf ball has 336 dimples
Did you know	if you filled a matchbox with gold it could be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court
Did you know	tennis was originally played with bare hands
Did you know	the Olympic flag was designed in 1913
Did you know	a bowling pin will fall at a tilt of 7.5 degrees
Did you know	the average soccer ball is made up of 32 leather panels and held together by 642 stitches
Did you know	soccer is the most followed sport
Did you know	volleyball was invented in 1895
Did you know	the first rugby club was formed in 1843
Did you know	the most common injury in ten pin bowling is a sore thumb
Did you know	orienteering originated from Sweden
Did you know	before 1850 golf balls were made of leather and were stuffed with feathers
Did you know	the game of Tug-of-war was an Olympic sport from 1900-1920
Did you know	the surface area of your lungs is roughly the same size as a tennis court
Did you know	according to manufacturer Spalding the average lifespan of an NBA basketball is 10,000 bounces

Ballotelli Record Finally Broken in AC Milan Loss To Napoli

AC Milan 1-2 Napoli: Balotelli misses penalty as visitors maintain perfect start The Partenopei kept up their impressive start to the season at San Siro, where the Italy international scored a spectacular consolation goal

Napoli kept up their 100 per cent start to the 2013-14 season with an impressive 2-1 over AC Milan at San Siro on Sunday.
The visitors started the game brightly and were soon ahead through Miguel Britos, with Gonzalo Higuain doubling their lead just after half-time.

Mario Balotelli squandered the chance to regain a foothold in the match, missing the first penalty of his career, though the Italy international scored a brilliant consolation strike at the death.

MIKEL FINALLY SCORES EPL GOAL - Chelsea vs Fulham

Chelsea's first half performance was far from stellar, but they played well in the second half and earned a derby win over their West London rivals.

Despite all the talk of a crisis at Stamford Bridge after a couple of very poor results against Everton and Basel, the Blues are top of the Premier League table after they recorded a 2-0 win over Fulham. They were held scoreless in the first half and had very few chances, but put together an impressive second-half performance, capped off by John Obi Mikel's first Premier League goal.

NIGERIANS ABROAD SHINES OVER THE WEEKEND

Nigerians Abroad: Peter Utaka scores four goals in China and Emenike plays 45 mins for Spartak

Peter Utaka scored four goals at the weekendThe former Odense striker has reminded everyone of his scoring prowess by netting four in one game at the weekend while the Afcon hero is playing again as he completed half a game.

The 2013/14 season is just weeks away (at least in countries like Russia and Ukraine) while it is on in China and the European transfer window is now widely open. Nigerian players are not left out of moving clubs though some might feel they are moving to the less glamorous leagues and clubs but they are moving which means they did something right last season.

Nigeria 0-3 Spain: ALBA'S BRACE AND TORRES HEADER SENDS EAGLES PACKING

Spain wrapped up their group stage campaign of the Confederations Cup with ease after recording a comfortable 3-0 victory over Nigeria at the Estadio Castelao Fortaleza on Sunday.

A brilliant solo double from Jordi Alba and a header from substitute Fernando Torres sealed the victory over a disappointing Super Eagles side, who were undone by their own inability to finish the numerous chances that came their way.

Predictably, Vicente del Bosque made a number of changes from the side that dismantled Tahiti 10-0 on Thursday, with Victor Valdes starting in goal and Roberto Soldado preferred to hat-trick heroes Torres and David Villa. Nigeria, meanwhile, made two changes from the line-up that suffered defeat against Uruguay, with Joseph Akpala and Sunday Mba returning for Nnamdi Oduamadi and John Ogu.

I'II MAKE YOU SMILE, OKAGBARE TELLS UDUAGHAN

Blessing Okagbare has remained among the top ten athletes in the world for more than two years now.

After winning a Long Jump bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, she focused more in the 100m at the London Olympics, a development which technocrats faulted and blamed it on her managers on the grounds that   she had greater potential to do better in the Long Jump if she was better guided.

And with the World Championships taking place this August in Rus sia, with the Olympic Games barely three years away, Blessing is still on track as a medal potential. She has run a wind assisted 10.75 in Oregon this year and jumped 7.14 m in the Long Jump in Doha, Qatar. That would have been an African record if it was not also wind-aided.
 

‘’Someday, I’ll put a smile on the face of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the governor of Delta State.

That is my prayer and I’m working towards it,” Blessing said yesterday, just after reigning as queen of the tracks for the third consecutive year. She ran 11.25 to win the Cross River/AFN World Championship trials in Calabar last week.
Her outing was part of her World Championship preparation which she said she started last November, few months after the London Olympics.

‘’When I qualified for the 100m final in London, everybody banked on me to win a medal. It didn’t happen and many people saw me as a failure. But the Governor of Delta State did not see me as one.

He called me to encourage me and told me that I was one of the best in the world. He has been very fatherly to me. He is a great mentor and motivator and I want to repeat here that my prayer is to put a smile on his face some day with a medal.”

Blessing wished that the Federal Government could do more for sports in the country.

OKAGBARE, EGWERO TOP LIST FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Blessing Okagbare and Ogho-Oghene Egwero top the list of 19 athletes the Athletic Federation of Nigeria released on Sunday for the World Athletics Championships in Russia.

The release, signed by the AFN’s technical director Navy Capt. Omatseye Nesiama, also said the list was provisional.

The list, made after national trials held at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar, include male athletes Ogho-Oghene Egwero (B standard in100m-probation), Noah Akwu (B standard in 400m- probation), Leoman Momoh (B standard in 800m-probation); 4x400m relay team,  Noah Akwu, Abiola Onakoya, Isah Saliu, Tobi Ogunmola, and Gerald Odeka.

NIGERIA QUEEN OF THE TRACK LIVE IN CALABAR

Blessing Okagbare, Nigeria's Queen of the track was Live at the CRS/ ALL Nigeria athletics Championship in Calabar.
She won the 100meters yesterday with a time of 11.24 secs and will also be competing in the 200m race, making her a star to watch.

Race: Final (100 m)

HISTORY

Blessing Okagbare (born 9 October 1988) is a Nigerian long and triple jumper and short sprinter.

In May 2007, at the All-Africa Games trials in Lagos, she established a Nigerian record of 14.13 metres in the triple jump. At the 2007 All-Africa Games she won the silver medal in the long jump and finished fourth in the triple jump. In the latter competition her Nigerian record was beaten by Chinonye Ohadugha, who jumped 14.21 metres. She won a bronze medal in the women's long jump event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Okagbare scored a 100 m/long jump double at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship for University of Texas at El Paso, completing an undefeated collegiate streak that year. She won the Nigerian 100 m title in 2010, running a time of 11.04 seconds, and stated that she was opting out of the long jump in order to save herself for the upcoming African championships.

 Blessing Okagbare

Personal information
Born	(1988-09-10) September 10, 1988 (age 24)
Height	1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
Country	Nigeria
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Long jump 100m
Medal record Olympic Games Bronze 2008 Beijing Long jump All-Africa Games Gold 2011 Maputo Long jump Silver 2011 Maputo 100 m Silver 2011 Maputo 4x100 m African Championships Gold 2010 Nairobi 100 m Gold 2010 Nairobi Long jump Silver 2012 Benin 100 m Continental Cup Bronze 2010 Split 100 m

TOP 10 PAID ATHLETES

Tiger Woods is once again the world's best-paid athlete after reclaiming golf's number one ranking, according to Forbes.

Woods had total earnings of $78 million (£50.34m) over the past year - $65 million (£42m) in endorsements and the remainder from appearance and prize money, Forbes said in its annual sporting survey.

The American returned to the top of golf's rankings in March for the first time since October 2010.

A number of sponsors had abandoned Woods after he was involved in an adultery scandal that broke in 2009 but sportswear company Nike was among those that stood by him.

Woods had topped the Forbes list every year from 2001 until boxer Floyd Mayweather deposed him last year.

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer was second in the new list, making more than $71 million (£45.89m) since June 2012.

US basketball players Kobe Bryant and LeBron James took the next two slots.

Mayweather slipped to 14th after fighting only once over the past year.

Russia's Maria Sharapova was the highest earning female athlete in 22nd place. Fellow tennis players Serena Williams of the United States and China's Li Na were the only other women to feature in the 100-strong list.

 

TOP 10:

 

1. Tiger Woods - $78.1 million (£50.34m)

2. Roger Federer - $71.5 million (£46.08m)

 

3. Kobe Bryant - $61.9 million (£39.89m)

 

 4. LeBron James - $59.8 million (£38.54m)

 

 

 

5. Drew Brees - $51 million (£32.87m)

 

6. Aaron Rodgers - $49 million (£31.59m)

 

7. Phil Mickelson - $48.7 million (£31.39m)

 

8. David Beckham - $47.2 million (£30.43m)

 

9. Cristiano Ronaldo - $44 million (£28.36m)

 

10. Lionel Messi - $41.3 million (£26.62m)

RACE4LIFE HALF-MARATHON................... A mission for vision.

 

Race(Sport) 4 Life(health) is a sporting event associated with raising funds to assist the general population on a particular health issue. It will be working cordially with the WHO (World health organisation) calendar which is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is also responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

 

Venue:

UJE Stadium Calabar will be the starting point and also finishing point for the athletes, where health personnels will be carrying out charity obligations. The award ceremony will also take place immediately after the marathon race at the stadium.

 

Race4Life will promote the day:

• To raise public awareness of blindness and vision impairment as major international public health issues.
• To influence governments, particularly health ministers, to participate in and designate funds for national blindness prevention programs.
• To educate target audiences about blindness prevention.

Why be a Sponsor: 

• Take advantage of the marathon’s marketing power. Your company name will reach thousands of runners in South South of Calabar and beyond.
• Be known as a company committed to health and wellness by supporting an event that promotes wellbeing.
• Support local charities: The Run4Life Marathon will donates a portion of its proceeds to charities and community development projects.
• Also your company will be known to support the NYSC Community development scheme.

For Sponsorship and Advert:
Contact....
08088418308, 08068808328
tss.global.resources@gmail.com

NEVER GIVE UP: Thats the spirit

At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, British sprinter Derek Redmond had his dreams of an olympic medal crushed by a debilitating hamstring injury in the middle of a semi-final race. But whereas most athletes would just submit to defeat, bend over, and cry, Redmond was determined to finish what he started. So he picks himself up off the ground and begins hobbling around the track toward the finish line. Then, just when it seems he might not be able to go on any longer, Redmond’s dad forces his way onto the track and puts his arm around his son, who cries on his shoulder as the two finish the race together.

If that doesn’t make you want to pick up the phone and call your dad, well, what the hell is wrong with you?

 

Ronaldinho " Football's Greatest "

FIFA RANKING: Nigeria After AFCON 2013

 

The African Champions who won the AFCON 2013 Championship early February is seen Jumping up the ladder from 52nd position to 30th on the FIFA ranking table. They still have ahead of them other Africa counterparts they trashed during the AFCON 2013 like cote d'ivoire who moved up 2 places to attain the 12th position with 999 accumulated points, Ghana who moved up 7 places to attain the 19th position with accumulated points of 865 and Mali who maintained their 25th position on the ranking with 813 accumulated points.

The Blind Play Soccer!!!

Have you ever seen the blind play soccer? as in pass the ball, dribble with the ball, and score even hat-tricks.......

It's amazing to know.

Watch the video below and see what I mean.

AFCON 2013: FAST MONEY MAKING MACHINE!!

President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday night conferred members of the victorious Super Eagles national Honours for their feat in winning the African Cup of Nations, nineteen years after Nigeria attained that feat.

 

This was in addition to cash donations of ten million naira for the Head Coach, Stephen Keshi
and five million naira each, to the assistant coaches and the twenty three players that took part in the championship.

In a well attended ceremony at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, the President also announced that each member of the team and the technical crew would be allocated a plot of and in the Federal Capital Territory,

DID YOU MISS THE AFCON 2013 CLOSING CEREMONY?

If you did missed the closing ceremony of AFCON 2013, you definitely missed a lot. Thank God for video coverage. Enjoy as D'banj thrilled the audience  with is popular singles Oliver Twist and On top of the world....

GROUP RESULT AFTER 2ND ROUND

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT THE AFCON 2013, AFTER THE 2ND GROUP STAGE ENCOUNTER? 

I see us using Scientific calculator this time.EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!!!!

• Groups
• Knockout

GROUP A
1	South Africa	4
2	Cape Verde	2
3	Morocco	2
4	Angola	1

GROUP B
1	Ghana	4
2	Mali	3
3	RD Congo	2
4	Niger	1

GROUP C
1	Burkina Faso	4
2	Nigeria	2
3	Zambia	2
4	Ethiopia	1

GROUP D
1	Ivory Coast	6
2	Togo	3
3	Tunisia	3
4	Algeria	0