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Historic Achievement for Nigeria as Three Women Qualify for Olympic Long Jump Final

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For the first time in history, three Nigerian women have qualified for the final of the women’s Long Jump event at the Olympic Games.

This unprecedented feat sees Nigeria represented by Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor, who have all secured their spots in the highly anticipated final of the long jump event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Ese Brume leaped to an automatic qualifying mark of 6.76m, securing her place in the final with a powerful last attempt. Ruth Usoro impressed with a jump of 6.68m, showcasing her potential and earning her first Olympic final appearance. Prestina Ochonogor also made a remarkable debut with a jump of 6.65m.

Out of the 12 finalists, three are Nigerians, making this a significant moment in Nigeria’s athletic history. Since Nigeria began competing in the Olympics in 1952, the country has never had three athletes advance to the final of an individual event. This historic achievement was made more exciting by the inspiring performance of Ese Brume, who, despite being in danger of missing the final, delivered a clutch jump to secure her spot.

While Brume is no stranger to the Olympic finals, this will be the first time for Ruth Usoro and Prestina Ochonogor. The final will take place on Thursday, August 8th at 7:00 PM, Nigerian time.

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The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, congratulated the athletes on their remarkable achievement and charged them to aim for medals in the final.

 “This is a historic moment for Nigeria, and I urge our athletes to give their best in the final. They have made us proud by reaching this stage, and we believe they can achieve even greater heights,” said the Minister.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Olympics

Olympic rings removed from Eiffel Tower

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The Eiffel Tower and the Olympic Rings

The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.

The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June. 

According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo  wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.

The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.

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Olympics

Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Ahmed El-Gendy won Egypt's only gold at the Paris Olympics

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered  a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that  participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.

The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.

Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.

Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.

Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review. 

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Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.

-Insidethegames

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Olympics

Paris 2024 Games break record ticket sales

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Beach Volleyball - Men's Gold Medal Match - Sweden vs Germany (Ahman/Hellvig vs Ehlers/Wickler) - Eiffel Tower Stadium, Paris, France - August 10, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo

Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.

Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.

In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.

-Reuters

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