Nigeria Olympic Fund to open two training centres early 2017 – Onyali

Mary Onyali, the Executive Director of Nigeria Olympic Fund, on Wednesday said the body plans to open two training centres for kids early next year.
Onyali told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the two centres would be located in Kwara and Kogi States.
Onyali said: “Our focus next year is to set up at least two training centres in the first quarter and kick start operations immediately.
“The centre in Kogi will be named after the late athlete, Sunday Bada; we will accommodate and train kids in these centres for future Olympic events.”
She said weightlifting would be the target sport for the Kwara State centre and would be named after veteran weightlifter, Ruth Ogbeifo.

Wheelchair Tennis national ranking tourney serves off

The 2016 National Wheelchair Ranking Tournament will serve off Thursday in at the National Stadium, Lagos with no fewer than 40 players participating.
Nigeria’s wheelchair tennis head coach, Frank Tarmena, disclosed that the players that have already registered will represent about 20 states.
Tarmena expressed optimism that more players will register for the tournament before it gets underway.
“Registration so far has been average because we are expecting a large number of participants due to the importance of the tournament. Some few more states have notify us that they are on their way to Lagos and because of this we have decided not to extend registration till Thursday morning after which we will commence the draws,” he stated.
Tarmena, who is an ITF Instructor on wheelchair tennis, stated that the players enthusiastic about the tournament as they hope to get a better ranking which will automatically earned them places into the main

Super Falcons officials evacuated, as plane develops electrical problem

Five members of the Super Falcons participating at the on-going African Women’s Nations Cup in Cameroon were forced to travel by road from Douala to Yaoundé yesterday, as the aircraft in which they were supposed to fly developed electrical fault shortly before take off.
The team, which defeated the Banyana Banyana of South Africa 1-0 to qualify for the final of the championship, had left their Parliamentarian Flat hotel in Buea at 6.00 a.m. and arrived in Douala for their flight to Yaoundé. They were scheduled to depart Douala at 9.00 a.m. for the state capital, a journey of about 45 minutes by air and about four hours by road.
The Nigerians arrived at Douala airport alongside their South African counterparts, who will face Ghana’s Black Queens in tomorrow’s third-place match.
But on getting to Douala airport, CAF officials could not secure enough seats for the entire Nigerian team to continue their journey inside one plane. “The team experienced some delay at the airport, but at the end, all

Gerrard should work as youth coach – Thompson

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has warned Steven Gerrard against taking a management job until he builds up his coaching experience.
Gerrard, who announced on Thursday that he was retiring as a player after leaving LA Galaxy, has already confirmed that he turned down the chance to take charge of League One strugglers MK Dons.
While Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp appears open to Gerrard joining his coaching staff, Thompson suggested the 36-year-old should start by working with current England under-21 boss Aidy Boothroyd.
Thompson, who worked with Gerrard during his time as Liverpool’s assistant manager, told Sky Sports: “There will be a lot of opportunities but I’d rather see him with England U21s, which would probably be my preference, then come back to Liverpool in some capacity, maybe with the U23s or as first-team coach.
“Aidy Boothroyd is down there in an interim role with the England U21s with a wealth of experience. He’s gone into the under-21 setup [and] is the sort of figure to learn from.
“It’s one thing cutting your teeth with the younger players at a football club but going into a League One or League Two side is a difficult scenario unless you’ve got a senior coach with you.”