Governing Bodies
TEAM NIGERIA’S CAMPING SITE MAY ABANDON PLANS TO HOST ATHLETES FOR TOKYO 2020
Although Team Nigeria has reportedly booked a camping site at Kisarazu in Japan for the Olympic Games, reports have it that dozens of Japanese towns have scrapped plans to host Olympic athletes.
Nigeria’s last phase of camping is supposed to hold from 3 to 23 July when the first batch of athletes will enter the Games Village for the Olympics.
The possible cancellation of the camping is due to growing concerns over COVID-19 and local medical resources during the fourth wave of infections.
As reported by Japanese publication Nikkei citing a Government source, 40 of the 500 towns registered to welcome international athletes and personnel have withdrawn their duties, which would see athletes based there for training camps and cultural exchanges ahead of the Games.
This comes during the latest rise in COVID-19 cases in Japan. On Sunday (May 9), Japan reported its second-highest number of daily cases with 7,766, nearly matching the record high set in January.
Yesterday, Japan reported 123 deaths – the highest daily total in the nation.
The host towns had been set to welcome athletes last year before the COVID-19 pandemic postponed Tokyo 2020 by a year.
The Olympics are scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8 this year, despite the spike in COVID-19 cases and the state of emergency in the host city, which is set to expire at the end of the month.
The prefecture of Chiba was set to host the United States athletics team for a training camp but this has now been cancelled.
Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai said the prefecture could not guarantee hospital beds for athletes, stating they should not receive preferential treatment.
“Chiba prefecture is not thinking about securing scarce hospital beds…for athletes and people involved in the Olympic Games in a way that would prohibit our residents from using them,” said Kumagai to reporters.
Shiro Hasegawa, an official from Okuizumo in Shimane, said it was no longer possible to host India’s hockey team prior to the Games.
“There’s limited time and cost issues, and it is impossible to have exchange activities between residents and athletes,” Hasegawa told Reuters.
Yesterday, the IOC said it supported Japanese COVID-19 countermeasures for the Olympics and claimed Tokyo 2020 would be a “historic” event.
To date, less than three per cent of Japan’s population have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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