Governing Bodies
Think-tank to develop sports in Edo State
BY EHI BRAIMAH
Three years ago, a private initiative was conceived by eight sports promoters purely for the purpose of sports development in Edo state.
The promoters who are from Edo State became trustees of Edo Sports Development Foundation (ESDF), a nonprofit organisation duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Of course, there’s no way the promoters can run with the idea without formally briefing Edo State Government.
It explains why ESDF has not been launched up till now. From experience, the proposed meeting between the state government and ESDF is expected to foster a win-win partnership for the benefit of Edo people.
Edo Sports Development Foundation is an independent think-tank set up with the primary objective of promoting, enhancing and accelerating the development of sports in Edo State.
ESDF intends to work with distinguished members of the newly re-constituted Board of the Edo State Sports Commission under the chairmanship of Yusuf Alli.
Through team work and the proposed partnership, we hope to revive sports so that Edo State will regain its pre-eminent position as the “home of sports” in Nigeria.
As a keen lover of sports himself, we have no doubt that Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor who has oversight responsibility for sports, will welcome ESDF and support the initiative.
For full disclosure, I’m a trustee and Chairman of the Edo Sports Development Foundation. The other members of the board/trustees are: Tony Agenmonmen, Aisha Falode, Godwin Enakhena, Dr Patrick Uwagbale, Ben Ijewele, Francis Orbih and Kevin Erhuwhumnse.
Historically, Edo State, right from when it was part of the old Bendel State – which was split into Edo and Delta states – has been famous for producing notable sportsmen and women who excelled in different sporting events such as football, athletics, cycling, gymnastics, badminton, table tennis and basketball, winning laurels both at national and international competitions.
We are keen to keep the winning spirit of the old Bendel state alive because wherever you go, you will find an abundance of talents in all the 18 local government areas of Edo State.
ESDF, as part of its mandate, is committed to bringing back the glory days of sports through a deliberate re-positioning strategy.
For example, if we cast our mind back in time, transformational leader, late Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, military governor of Midwest State and later renamed Bendel State, made huge investments in sports infrastructure such as the famous Afuze Games Village and Ogbe Stadium.
This explained why Bendel State was way ahead of other states in national sports competitions, producing champions who distinguished themselves in nearly all sports.
ESDF will attract funding through private sector collaboration, partnerships, crowd funding, sponsorship and access to grants. In addition, we shall explore the possibility of securing technical assistance from international organisations.
Our game plan is to identify young talents in secondary schools and turn them into national champions and award winners in five major sports.
“Catch ‘em young” is a popular call-to-action phrase in sports and it will be the overarching strategy of ESDF.
Secondary school students – especially in the junior category — represent the best pool for talent development in sports. As young students in Government College, Ughelli (GCU) many years ago, we were active in a variety of sports.
If you were not identified with a sport, be ready to be called a “waste pipe”.
I played football (I’m a ‘leftie’, lol) and table tennis as a young lad. It did not occur to us then that a footballer could earn as much as $300,000 a week playing football, in which case I may have opted for a professional career in Europe.
We were lucky to have sports facilities in GCU that were in great shape and the annual inter-house sports competition brought out the best in all the competitors; winning medals was good but taking part was better.
When Nigerian Breweries launched “Maltina School Games” two years ago, the brewing giant explained that the sports campaign was designed to promote the development of students through sports comprising a series of track and field sporting competitions held across Nigeria.
Maltina School Games is a suitable platform for youth development in sports, rewarding students, athletes, teachers and communities across Nigeria. Believe it or not, about 20 million students will be impacted in one way or the other through sports under Maltina sponsorship.
We are familiar with inter-school sports competitions to grow future sports champions at the secondary school level.
With a similar objective in mind, EDSF will solicit sponsorship from the private sector amongst others, approaching organisations such as Nigerian Breweries.
Globally, sport is a major PR tool for branding and destination marketing, attracting visitors and investors in droves.
It will not be different in Edo state, the “heart beat of the nation”.
Sporting events attracts spectators and creates commercial opportunities that help to boost the local economy.
By the time you add the value of the “brand equity” gained from the accompanying media coverage and exposure, you will understand why sports — and entertainment — are usually leveraged in nation and city branding campaigns.
The Ogbe Hard Court Tennis, for example, was one of the most important tennis tournaments (men and women) in the Nigerian tennis calendar and until the last edition 14 years ago; it had grown to be on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Wouldn’t it be nice for the Edo state government, through the Edo State Sports Commission and private sector collaboration, to revive this important tournament, thereby putting Edo state and by extension, Nigeria, back into the mainstream of international tennis circuit?
The long-term ambition obviously would be to get the tournament back as an ATP Challenger Series. I’m aware that a consulting firm in Lagos has done significant work on the tournament, going as far as engaging the Nigeria Tennis Federation.
Still on the significance of destination marketing, the Paris-Dakar rally is a key brand asset for Senegal; Tour de France attracts millions of viewers and tourists globally putting France in international limelight for about three weeks every year; Dubai has built a reputation for hosting the world’s richest horse racing competition (Dubai World Cup) while Monaco Grand Prix is one of the major brand assets of the location.
Wimbledon, Berlin Marathon and Rio Carnival, etc are also strong elements of destination marketing.
With a population of over 200 million plus being the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria is missing a great opportunity to represent the region with world class events that will resonate in a big way amongst national and international audiences.
Edo state can fill this void with a major sporting event and challenge Lagos state which hosts the Lagos marathon.
It is evident that the marathon is perhaps the only annual sporting event in Nigeria gradually gaining popularity and building significant momentum.
Four years ago, our public relations and marketing management company, Neo Media & Marketing, working with Osaretin Emuzie, a sports journalist and cycling enthusiast and our associates in the UK led by Toju Ogbe, a global PR strategist, came up with the Edo Cycling Tour envisioned to become Africa’s response to Tour de France within five years.
It was conceptualised as a hybrid of sports and culture showcase that will generate both national and global fellowship.
The three-day tour was designed to flag off from the scenic town of Ososo in Akoko Edo local government area, passing through Uzairue, Auchi, Ubiaja, Uromi, Ekpoma, Ehor and terminating in Benin City.
Ososo was planned as a backdrop for the event because it is one of the touristic places in Nigeria, located on a plateau with rocks and hills of different sizes and an average temperature similar to that of Jos in Plateau State.
The Ogbe Hard Court and Edo Cycling Tour are just two examples, indicative of what is possible in the area of “sporting revolution”.
I have no doubt in my mind that the Edo State Sports Commission will take up these initiatives and more, and convert them into massive opportunities.
Ultimately, the goal will be to make Edo state an attractive investment destination through sports.
Braimah is the publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times (https://naijatimes.ng) and chairman, Edo Sports Development Foundation
Kirsty Coventry became the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the most powerful person in sport, on Monday in a handover ceremony with her predecessor Thomas Bach.
The Zimbabwean is the first woman and African to head the body, and at 41, the youngest since Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who is credited with founding the modern-day Olympics.
Coventry accepted the Olympic key from Bach, who, like her, is an Olympic champion — he won a team fencing gold in 1976 and she earned two swimming golds in 2004 and 2008.
Stepping down after a turbulent 12-year tenure, Bach expressed his confidence that the Olympic movement was “in the best of hands” and Coventry would bring “conviction, integrity and a dynamic perspective” to the role.
Coventry, who swept to a crushing first-round victory in the election in Greece in March, leans heavily on her family.
Aside from her parents, who were present at the ceremony in Lausanne, there is her husband Tyrone Seward, who was effectively her campaign manager, and two daughters, six-year-old Ella, who Bach addresses as “princess”, and Lily, just seven months old.
“Ella saw this spider web in the garden and I pointed out how it is made, and how strong and resilient it is to bad weather and little critters,” said Coventry, who takes over officially at midnight Swiss time Monday (2200 GMT).
“But if one little bit breaks it becomes weaker. That spider web is our movement, it is complex, beautiful and strong but it only works if we remain together and united.”
‘Pure passion’
Coventry said she could not believe how her life had evolved since she first dreamt of Olympic glory in 1992.
“How lucky are we creating a platform for generations to come to reach their dreams,” she said to a packed audience in a marquee in the Olympic House garden, which comprised IOC members, including those she defeated, and dignitaries.
“It is amazing and incredible, indeed I cannot believe that from my dream in 1992 of going to an Olympic Games and winning a medal I would be standing here with you to make dreams for more young children round the world.”
Coventry, who served in the Zimbabwean government as sports and arts Minister from 2019 to this year, said the Olympic movement was much more than a “multi-sport event platform.”
“We (IOC members) are guardians of this movement, which is also about inspiring and changing lives and bringing hope,” she said.
“These things are not to be taken lightly and I will be working with each and every one of you to continue to change lives and be a beacon of hope in a divided world.
“I am really honoured to walk this journey with you.”
Bach, who during his tenure had to grapple with Russian doping and their invasions of the Crimea and Ukraine as well as the Covid pandemic, said he was standing down filled with “gratitude, joy and confidence” in his successor.
“With her election it sends out a powerful message, that the IOC continues to evolve,” said the 71-year-old German, who was named honorary lifetime president in Greece in March.
“It has its first female and African to hold this position, and the youngest president since Pierre de Coubertin. She represents the truly global and youthful spirit of our community.”
Bach, who choked back tears at one point during his valedictory speech, was praised to the rafters by Coventry, who was widely seen as his preferred candidate of the seven vying for his post.
After a warm embrace, she credited him with teaching her to “listen to people and to respect them,” and praised him for leading the movement with “pure passion and purpose.”
“You have kept us united through the most turbulent times.
“You left us with many legacies and hope, thank you from the bottom of my heart for leading us with passion and never wavering from our values.”
-AFP
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Former Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry took over the leadership of the International Olympic Committee from Thomas Bach in a ceremony on Monday with the 2028 Los Angeles Games already threatening to fill her in-tray to overflowing.
Coventry, who starts her eight-year spell officially on Tuesday as the most powerful sports administrator in the world, became the first woman and first African to be elected head of the Olympic ruling body in March.
Much of the discussion during campaigning focused on the IOC’s need for change in its marketing strategies with several top Olympic sponsors having left in the past 12 months.
However, with Los Angeles hit by protests against immigration raids, and relations tense between state and city officials, and the U.S. government, the 2028 Games have become the major talking point in the movement that would ordinarily be focusing on next year’s Milano-Cortina Winter Games.
Coventry has long-standing ties with the United States, dating back to her time as a leading swimmer at Auburn University in Alabama. That will prove useful ahead of LA 2028, and she has said she will seek to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the Games.
Coventry will also need to find time to help secure the long-term finances of the movement. The IOC, which generates billions of dollars in revenues each year in sponsorship and broadcasting deals for the Olympics, has secured $7.3 billion for 2025-28 and $6.2 billion for 2029-2032. More contracts are expected for both periods.
COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES
Coventry is also expected to continue the IOC’s plans to expand commercial opportunities for sponsors at the Olympics with the organisation’s finances in a robust state and the privately-funded LA Olympics a good place to start.
Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, beating six other candidates, making history for the African continent, with the IOC having been ruled for 131 years by European or North American men.
Her background and being the first female president will be assets in a diverse IOC membership and the international makeup of Olympic stakeholders.
On Monday she was handed the golden key to the IOC by Bach, who was the organisation’s president for 12 years.
“I am really honoured I get to walk this journey with you. I cannot wait for anything that lies ahead,” Coventry said in her address to IOC members and other Olympic stakeholders.
“I know I have the best team to support me and our movement over the next eight years.”
Coventry will hold a two-day workshop this week to get feedback from members on key IOC issues.
“Working together and consistently finding ways to strengthen and keep united our movement that will ensure that we wake up daily… to continue to inspire,” she said.
A seven-time Olympic medallist, Coventry won 200m backstroke gold at the 2004 Athens Games and in Beijing four years later.
“With her election, you have also sent a powerful message to the world: the IOC continues to evolve,” Bach said in his speech. “With Kirsty Coventry, the Olympic movement will be in the best of hands.”
-Reuters
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Penalties scored when a player accidentally touches the ball twice must be retaken, world soccer’s lawmaking body IFAB has said after Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez had his spot kick disallowed in a Champions League last-16 match.
During a tense shootout with Real Madrid in March, Argentine forward Alvarez slipped and the VAR spotted that his left foot touched the ball slightly before he kicked it with his right.
Although Alvarez converted the penalty, the goal was chalked off and Atletico went on to lose the shootout and were eliminated from the Champions League.
European soccer’s governing body UEFA said the correct decision was made under the current laws but IFAB (International Football Association Board) has said that in such cases the penalty must be retaken.
Atletico Madrid v Real Valladolid – Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain – April 14, 2025 Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez scores their first goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo
“(When) the penalty taker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet simultaneously or the ball touches their non-kicking foot or leg immediately after the kick: if the kick is successful, it is retaken,” IFAB said in a circular.
“If the kick is unsuccessful, an indirect free kick is awarded (unless the referee plays advantage when it clearly benefits the defending team). In the case of penalties (penalty shootout), the kick is recorded as missed.”
The decision to disallow Alvarez’s penalty left Atletico boss Diego Simeone livid and the club’s fans outraged.
IFAB added that if the penalty taker deliberately kicks the ball with both feet or deliberately touches it a second time, an indirect free kick is awarded or, in the case of shootouts, it is recorded as missed.
The new procedures are effective for competitions starting on or after July 1, but IFAB said it may be used in competitions that start this month.
-Reuters
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