Sunday 18092016

PAGE 46—SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
Lagos House holds public
hearing on sports
SPORTS took the centre
stage in the affairs of
Lagos, last Friday, as the
state House of Assembly held
a public hearing and
Stakeholders’ Forum to
discuss the bills for the
establishment of two
“important” organs for the
development of sports.
Besides moving to
legitimize the Lagos State
Sports Commission through
the enactment of an
establishing law, the state is
also concerned with the issue
of adequate and proper
funding for sports and has
determined to establish the
Lagos State Sports Trust
Fund to elicit private and
corporate contributions.
Giving insight on the two
•Obasa, Speaker Lagos
House of Assembly.
Paralympics
continued from B/P
12 medals, comprising 8
gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze
medals, though one less
than the 13 won four years
ago, but higher in quality
compared to the 6 gold 5
silver and 2 bronze in
London.
Team Nigeria’s eight gold
medals came through
Roland Ezuruike, Paul
Kehinde, Lucy Ejike,
Lauritta Onye Ndidi
Nwosu, Bose Omolayo,
Flora Ugwunwa and
Rohr psyches
continued from B/P
showdown in Zambia next
month,” a top official
informed.
“He wishes to raise their
confidence and self-esteem
by this personal contact.”
Rohr made his debut with
the Eagles during an Africa
Cup of Nations clash
against Tanzania in Uyo,
where the Eagles laboured
to a 1-0 win. He said the
team was lacking self
confidence. However, he is
bills, the majority leader of
the assembly, Hon SOB
Agunbiade who represented
the Speaker, Rt. Hon.
Mudashiru Obasa, declared
that the objective is to drive
sports “beyond the common
standards of excellence” in
line with the motto of the
house. “We are trying to
Josephine Orji, all in the
powerlifting event.
Other winners are Latifat
Tijani and Esther Oyema
who got silver medals from
powerlifting while Eucharia
Iyiazi won bronze medal in
discus.
In 2012 Nigeria was third
behind Tunisia who are now
second at the Rio games
having won 6 gold, 6 silver
and 6 bronze to occupy 20 th
position overall while South
Africa followed closely as
third best African country
and 22 nd overall with same
6 gold medals as Tunisia but
5 silver and 4 bronze.
hopeful that a good result
will lift the team.
“The confidence has not
been there because the
team failed to qualify for the
Africa Cup of Nations, but
when results start to come,
the confidence will return,”
he said.
“It is a difficult challenge
(to qualify for the World
Cup). Nigeria are not the
favourites after we did not
qualify for the last two
AFCONs, but we hope to
be at the World Cup.”
Rohr is expected to draw
up his list this week.
reposition sports in the
state. Henceforth, it will no
longer be “Eko for show” but
“Eko for gold” and this forum
has been convened to avail
stakeholders the
opportunity of contributing
to the law making process
to accentuate a fundamental
tenet of democracy as
government by the people.
GOtv Boxing Night 9: Jagaban
vows to demolish Coded Man
SEMIU
“Jagaban”
Olabode has vowed to
floor Ebubechukwu “Coded
Man” Edeh when they clash
in the national light
middleweight challenge
contest at GOtv Boxing
Night 9, holding on 2 October
at the Indoor Sports Hall of
the National Stadium, Lagos.
Both boxers are making
their professional debut after
being selected at GOtv
Boxing NextGen Search.
Edeh came through GOtv
NextGen Search 1, while
Jagaban was discovered at
the second edition of the
talent hunt.
“I am not called Jagaban
for nothing. Coded Man or
whatever he calls himself will
run for cover and announce
himself as Coded Boy. He is
a boy, not a man. I am
putting him on notice that
hell awaits him,” he
boasted. But speaking on
MiTv’s Sports Update, from
which Jagaban was absent,
Coded Man said his
opponent’s absence was out
of fear.
“I was hoping we would
meet on the programme.
He would have had a hint
of what he will see in the
ring,” said the Anambraborn
boxer.
Their bout is one of the
seven lined for GOtv
Boxing Night 9, where the
best boxer will go home with
a cash prize of N1.5million
in commemoration of
GOtv’s fifth anniversary in
Nigeria and the country’s
independence.
FC IfeanyiUbah
continued from B/P
match, Cameroonian
midfield maestro Tamen
Medrano said he believes
IfeanyiUbah are fully
focused on getting all
three points.
“We are fully focused on
getting all three points, at
this stage of the season we
are taking the matches
one after the other, we
have prepared well this
week and I believe we are
going to get a positive
result on Sunday,” said
Medrano.
‘The Anambra
Warriors’, who are in
search of their maiden
continued from B/P
he has featured in that
period.
Iheanacho was the match
winner for Nigeria in an
AFCON qualifier against
Tanzania on September 4,
before he grabbed the
match winner for City in
the Manchester Derby.
He then netted his first
UEFA Champions League
goal against German
Bundesliga side Borussia
Monchengladbach at The
Ettihad.
In another Premier
League game, compatriot
•L–R: Larry Ephraim Ettah, Chairman, UPDC Nigeria Plc; Bankole Opashi,
MD, Bodyline Fitness & Gym and Hakeem Oguniran, MD/CEO, UPDC
Nigeria Plc commissioning the new state-of-the-art fitness centre at Golden
Tulip Hotel, Festac , Lagos.
CNS swimming championship to
expose junior swimmers
By Princess
Chukwuemeka
CHAIRMAN of the
Main Organising
Committee of the 7th Chief
of Naval Staff Swimming
Championship, Commodore
Suraj Mustapha Bello, has
beckoned on Nigerians to reengineer
sports from the
grassroot level so as to capture
young talents who would take
NPFL title, have shone
since the start of the second
round of the 2016 NPFL
season, and Tamen
Medrano said that
clinching the NPFL title will
be a perfect way to reward
club owner, Patrick Ifeanyi
Ubah, for his support.
“Winning the league will
be a huge accomplishment
for us, our careers and to
be part of the history of the
club.
“It will also be a perfect
reward for the president
because he has invested a
lot in the team this season.
“Most importantly,
winning the league will
mean a lot to the people of
Anambra State.’’
Iheanacho
Alex Iwobi was credited
with two assists as Arsenal
won 4-1 at Hull City.
It looked like Iwobi had
scored his first league goal
for the season when
Arsenal went in front after
17 minutes, but the goal
was later credited to Alexi
Sanchez with Iwobi the
provider.
Iwobi also assisted in
Theo Walcott’s goal after 55
minutes.
Ahmed Musa was an
unused sub as champions
Leicester City thrashed
promoted Burnley 3-0.
over from the aging elite
athletes..
Commodore Bello made
the call in Lagos Friday, at a
press conference to usher in
the 2016 Chief of Naval Staff
Swimming competition. He
stated that the swimming
championship would begin
on Thursday, September
22nd to Sunday 25th, at the
Teslim Balogun Stadium
swimming pool,Surulere.
In line with the new
thinking of ‘catching them
young’, Bello stated that this
year’s championship would
be involving swimmers from
both the primary and
secondary schools who will
compete in the junior
category.
“We will be having
competitions in the junior
Ighalo
continued from B/P
their opening four games
including an Odion Ighalo
inspired comeback from 2-
0 down to beat West Ham
4-2 in their last league
outing.
Mazzarri is expected to
retain much of the starting
XI that won at the London
Stadium. The win over
West Ham was a big result
for Watford, which saw Troy
Deeney and Odion Ighalo
got back on the goal trail.
Watford’s attacking
prowess is provided by
Ighalo and Deeney, two
strikers who offer
completely different tactical
threats. Deeney is famous
for holding up the ball and
playing back-to-goal while
Ighalo, a United fan, runs
beyond him and tries to
angle on goal. Both players
are incredibly physical and
adept in the air, which
allows Watford to create
goals from wide areas. In
and senior categories, for the
first time in the history of the
competition,” he said,
pointing out that teams were
also being expected from
States, the armed forces,
tertiary institutions,Clubs,etc
in the senior category.
While justifying the
introduction of the junior
category, President of the
Nigeria Aquatic Federation,
Fatai Williams said, “we felt
we have not been fair to the
junior swimmers who were
made to compete side by
side the seniors. No matter
how good they were, they
could not compete
favourably with their seniors.
Now they have been given
a chance to compete among
themselves. This will bring
out the best in them.”
addition, Ighalo and
Deeney’s prolific
goalscoring is Watford’s
claim to a Premier League
place, and it showed last
season- in the Europa
League positions when
Ighalo was scoring goals,
they finished 13th when
Ighalo went on a massive
scoring drought.
Etienne Capoue has
made a big change from
the end of last season. They
were getting predictable
because it was almost like
they didn’t have a chance
when Deeney and Ighalo
weren’t at it, but Capoue
is giving them a little bit
extra now.
Wayne Rooney, Antonio
Valencia and Luke Shaw
return to Mourinho’s
matchday squad.
The trio were rested for
Thursday’s Europa
League tie at Feyenoord,
with the latter not risked
after complaining of a tight
hamstring following the
derby defeat to
Manchester City.
C
M
YK