Zambia’s women could miss out on playing at this summer’s Olympics after FIFA threatened the country’s football association with suspension amid accusations of money-laundering offences against its president, Andrew Kamanga.

FIFA considers the action as “undue influence by third parties”.

Andrew Kamanga, the FAZ president since 2016, was last week charged by Zambia’s drug enforcement commission with obtaining government funds under false pretences and being part of a conspiracy to defraud.

It was  alleged that he used the money to fund trips for two associates to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire earlier this year.

The general secretary, Reuben Kamanga, was also charged, along with Madalitso Kamanga and Jairous Siame, who travelled to the tournament as part of Football Association of Zambia’s support staff. All have denied the charges.

Zambia’s women’s team qualified for the Olympics last month after beating Morocco 3-2 on aggregate.

They are still coached by Bruce Mwape, who is believed to remain under investigation by FIFA  after allegations of misconduct before and during the Women’s World Cup last year that were first made in the UK newspaper, the Guardian. He has denied the claims.

France has reportedly registered a record number of imported cases of dengue – a break-bone fever which is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people.

This is happening just three months to the commencement of the Paris 2024.  The alarm has been raised by the French health authorities. 

According to the reports, there have been 1,700 cases across France since January.  

The Director General of Health, Gregory Emery, was quick to issue the stark warning at a press conference. 

He said: “Since January 1, 2024, 1,679 cases of dengue have been imported into metropolitan France, against 131 during the same period in 2023.”

These cases correspond to people who travelled to regions of the world, such as the French Antilles, where the virus is transmitted by mosquitoes of the Aedes albopictus species.

“It is a reflection of what is happening in the Antilles and, more broadly, in Latin America and the Caribbean, where dengue has been circulating since the beginning of the year at unprecedented levels,” said the head of Sante Publique France, Caroline Semaille. 

Even before the Olympic Games, France broke the record for imported dengue cases in the metropolitan area (2,019) at the mercy of a greater influx of people in the capital.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the majority of these cases originate from Guadeloupe and Martinique, where an ongoing “epidemic” is observed. Additionally, French Guiana has reported 7,000 confirmed dengue cases since the start of 2024.

Health authorities have called on people to “remain vigilant and adopt good gestures to limit the proliferation of the tiger mosquito”, such as, for example, eliminating stagnant water and avoiding being bitten. With 3.5 million cases so far this year, Latin America and the Caribbean will probably experience their “worst dengue season”, caused by climate change, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) warned at the end of March.

Experts blame climate change for the mosquitoes’ ability to adapt easily to colder climates, and authorities recently declared Normandy in the northwest, the last remaining mosquito-free region in France, as infested as the rest of the country.

Dengue, also known as break-bone fever, is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates. Most people who get dengue will not have symptoms. However, for those who do, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash.

Three-times Olympic gold medallist Gabby Douglas returned to competition for the first time in eight years at the American Classic and secured qualification for the U.S. Championships despite a slightly rusty performance.

The 2012 Olympics all-around individual and team champion, who had not competed since the 2016 Rio Games after taking time away to focus on her mental health, is looking to mount a comeback ahead of this year’s Paris Olympics.

She placed 10th in the all-around in Katy, Texas, on Saturday, recording a score of 50.65 after errors on the floor and bars.

However, her promising showing in the vault and the balance beam proved enough to qualify for next month’s U.S. Championships in those events.

The 28-year-old returned to training last year hoping to make the squad for Paris, but was forced to delay her return to competition earlier this year due to a bout of COVID-19.

The American Classic was won by Tokyo Olympics floor champion Jade Carey.

-Reuters