Governing Bodies
FRESH THREAT TO TOKYO 2020 AS GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE PLEDGES TO CANCEL OLYMPICS
BY MICHAEL HOUSTON
Japanese politician and former actor Tarō Yamamoto has promised that he will prioritise cancelling the Olympic and Paralympic Games if he is elected Governor of the Japanese capital next month.
Leader of anti-establishment party Reiwa Shinsengumi, Yamamoto has pledged the cancellation of the Games as his first order of business if elected on July 5.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo 2020, which were originally scheduled for July and August this year, is now due to begin on July 23 next year.
Shinsengumi has also promised all Tokyo residents a relief handout of ¥100,000 (£750/$950/€830) in response to the pandemic.
Incumbent Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is expected to be re-elected, having officially confirmed on Saturday (June 13) that she would run again.
Koike’s handling of the pandemic has been popular during the crisis, unlike her former Liberal Democratic Party colleague and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who recently had a polled approval rating of only 38 per cent, while 70 per cent supported the Tokyo Governor’s stance.
Yamamoto would likely split the vote from left wing and centrist parties who so far are set to back Kenji Utsunomiya, former head of the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations.
Speaking on a radio programme on Saturday, Yamamoto had claimed the chances of him running for election are “fifty-fifty”, for which campaigning officially starts on Thursday (June 18).
He announced his candidacy formally on Twitter today.
Yamamoto started a career in politics after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, becoming an anti-nuclear protestor and later a member of the House of Councillors for six years.
As an actor, Yamamoto is best known for his role as Shogo Kawada in the popular dystopian thriller Battle Royale.
In addition to those mentioned, Taisuke Ono will run after recently quitting as vice-governor of Kumamoto and could receive support from the Japan Innovation Party.
A fringe candidate, Takashi Tachibana, also looks set to run on the mandate of dismantling public broadcaster NHK.
-insidethegames
FIFA has sanctioned two lower division clubs in Kenya and Vietnam for match manipulation, relegating them to the third tier, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found Kenyan side Muhoroni Youth guilty of “activities related to the manipulation of football matches and competitions”, expelling the club from the second-tier National Super League.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has further ordered the relegation of the Muhoroni Youth senior team to the Football Kenya Federation Division One League (third tier) ahead of next season,” FIFA said.
Vietnamese club Phu Tho was also found guilty of match manipulation. The club’s senior team was expelled from the Vietnamese Football League Second Division and relegated to the third division.
FIFA said the clubs had been notified and can appeal the decision.
-Reuters
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The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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