The official Mascot for FIFA Twenty Ten World Cup billed for South Africa has been unveiled. The Mascot, which was named Zakumi, made his official debut in front of an audience of millions on South Africa’s primetime SABC Coca-Cola Soccer Zone and it represents the people, geography and spirit of South Africa, personifying in essence the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Official Mascot, a leopard, has been designed and produced exclusively in the host country and the name is a composition of “ZA”, standing for South Africa, and “kumi” translating into “10” in various languages across Africa.
The original creator of the design is Andries Odendaal from Cape Town, and the mascot costume itself was produced by Cora Simpson of Cora’s Costumes cc in Boksburg.
The tradition of the Official FIFA World Cup Mascot has been in place for more than 40 years.
Willie was the first-ever FIFA World Cup Mascot, invented for the 1966 tournament in England.
FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, said the Federation would have a lot of fun with him in the lead-up to and during the FIFA Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup.
Our Sports Correspondent, recalls that the FIFA World Cup, in South Africa, is Six Hundred and Twenty Five days away.
The National Sports Commission, N.S.C, has been advised to provide modern facilities to Nigerian athletes while preparing for any International Tournament.
Gold Medalist, at the just concluded Paralympic Games in China, Ruel Ishaku, said most of the special athletes who featured at the Games would have many medals but inability to train with good and modern facilities affected their medals haul.
Ishaku, said it was an harculean task competing with arrays of good and credible special athletes who are not only well endowed in their specialised sports but they are exposed to modern which paved the way for them to win most of the events especially the Chinese special athletes.
He charged the Chairman of N.S.C, Abdulrahman Gimba, to ensure that Nigerian Special Athletes embark on early training tour prior to the next Paralympic Games billed for Twenty Twelve, in England.
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I Won A Golden Silver, Says Adesoji.
Nigeria's Paralympic Silver Medalsit, Adesoji Adekunle, has described the siler medal he won at the just concluded Paralympic Games, in Beijin, China, as a Golden - Silver.
Adekunle, who trains with Newham Essence Virgo Athletic Club in England, said his past records set at the last two editions of the Games still stand him out as an outstanding Paralympic athlete especially in T- Twelve One Hundred Metre Race.
The Paralympian, who is satisfied with his performance despite wining a Silver Medal,said he sustained an injury twenty minutes before the race and this paved the way for his rival to clinch a Gold Medal.
He told our correspondent, that he was in good competition mood following his superlative performance at the Qualifying championship in Tunisia where his former records of Ten point Seven Five, still remin unbroken.
The Paralympian who paryed for an injury free at the next edition, said nothing would stop him from wining a Gold Medal as he would commence earl training programmes ahead of the Games billed for England, inTwenty Twleve.
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WAFU Cup Will Regenerate Football In West Africa.
Former President of the West African Football Union ,W.A.F.U, Jonathan Ogunfere, has described the forthcoming WAFU Under-20 tournament as a viable tool that can galvanize the rebirth of the sub-regions'supremacy on the continent.
The Head of Association of Sports Veterans of Nigeria, said this was one of the best things that has happened to the sub-region in recent times.
According to him,For years, the sub-region has been lagging behind, due to the lack of Under-20 championship where the best of West-African youths could come together and show their skills.
He said the Championship would provide the stage for the emergence of new stars and the standard of the game in the region would equally improve.
Chief Ogunfere also lauded the new WAFU President, Amos Adamu for his vision and initiative, adding that he has kept his promise to the football Nations in thesub-region.
The WAFU Championship holds in Delta state, Nigeria between November, 30 and December 14 with at least twelve West African nations taking part. ===========================================
Group to honour Olympic medalist, Chukwumerije in Abuja.
Impressed by Chika Chukwumerije’s feat at the last Beijing Olympic Games in China, a group of friends will on Saturday honour the Olympian at a grand reception organized by the group chaired by Senator Ben Obi.
It would be recalled that the Mechanical Engineering graduate of Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, became the first Nigerian to win an Olympic medal in Taekwondo event after clinching bronze medal at the last Beijing Olympic Games in China.
The reception put together by the 17-man committee tagged Chika Chukwumerije Reception Committee will use the event to appreciate the modest performance of Nigeria in the taekwondo event at the global championship.
While Speaking , Senator Obi, said the committee want to use the event to appreciate Nigeria’s modest performance in Beijing, especially in taekwondo and also to hold up this achievement as a message to Nigerian youths that pursuit of excellence in sports, academics and good citizenship can simultaneously be undertaken.
Chukwumerije made his second appearance at the world event and contribute to Nigeria’s medal haul in Beijing, where he competed in the men's plus 80kilogram Taekwondo event, and defeated Vietnam's Nguyen Van Hung in the preliminary rounds.
He went on to beat World Champion, Mali's Daba Modibo Keïta in the quarterfinals, but due to technical error, he lost to Greece's Alexandros Nikolaidis, the eventual silver medal winner in the event. He defeated Akmal Irgashev of Uzbekistan to claim bronze medal.
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Kuffour vows to bounce back
Ghanaian Soccer legend, Sammy Kuffour, has said he wants to make a comeback, despite being without a club.
The defender was released by Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam in May, having joined them on a six-month deal and played in just two competitive matches.
The defender, who picked up a Uefa Champions League winners medal in 2001 with Bayern Munich, is now a free agent.
Kuffour, who he is keeping an open mind as to where to play next, said he still have energy to play football.
The player who refused to rule out a move home to Ghana's Asante Kotoko, said he recieved invitation from a club in Russia but he needs to consider his family before he signs for any team.
Kuffour joined Ajax from Italian side AS Roma on a free transfer, before being released.
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), yesterday said his administration will lay a solid foundation to enable future leaders fulfill the dream of a new Lagos. Fashola, who spoke at the New Lagos House, while receiving the executives of the National Association of Lagos State Students, University of Abuja, who visited him, said his administration, being time-bound, will certainly not fix all the problems.
"As a government, we are under no illusion at all that our tenure is time-bound, therefore, we cannot fix all the problems with all our best wishes. But the responsibility that we have set for ourselves is to lay a foundation that you can build on and take over from us. That is our hope, that is our dream, that will be our fulfilment, that the generation after us achieved our dream", the Governor told the students.
"We can set the vision, but it takes a gestation period for the vision to come true. Nothing will be more fulfilling than to see one or more of you here in the next few years carrying out this dream and moving this wheel forward", he said.
Recalling that some 20 years ago, he was a student just like them, the governor said: "It might seem a long time to come, but it is not. It may seem too far away, but it is not. In 1995, when General Babangida was the Military President of this country, I was a student. Now, I am Governor. So time flies so quickly."
He noted that this has informed his administration’s serious investment in education from primary to the tertiary level.
"We think that if this investment matures, Lagos will be a better place, Nigeria will be a richer country, because we believe clearly, without any doubt, that the greatest resource this country has is not oil but people", the Governor said, adding that when such people were well educated, the future of the nation was assured.
He cited China which, according to him, revived and re-energised an old culture and showed it to the world during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
He said the same could be replicated in Nigeria with the old Oyo, Benin and other ancient Nigerian kingdoms rising again if the population was galvanised into action through education.
Governor Fashola expressed delight that the modest effort of his administration was making impact not only on the residents, but also on "the generation immediately behind us", saying: "It is inspiring to know that we are raising your hopes. This is the reason we exist".
Thanking the association for honouring him with a Noble Award as patron, Fashola expressed delight that his administration’s policy for making the implementation of the students’ bursary less painful was already having an impact. He pledged to live up to expectation as the patron of the association.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, president of the association, Mr. Akapo Francis, praised the governor for his beautification programme that is transforming the state into a beautiful city, his achievements in the area of taxation, infrastructural development, transportation and in the education sector, among other achievements.
He was accompanied by seven other members, including the vice-president, Mr. Kehinde Akinrinsa, and the secretary, Miss Folashade Allen.