Connect with us

Governing Bodies

Lagos ready to host World Championships, Deputy Governor assures ITTF 

blank

Published

on

blank

Deputy Governor of Lagos State Femi Hamzat has assured the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) that the state is ready to host World Championships in near future following the successful hosting of several ITTF-sanctioned tournaments in the last eight years. 

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the ITTF team to his office in Lagos on Tuesday, May 24, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Femi Hamzat said the state would continue to support table tennis while assuring that they would be willing to host the world based on the experience of hosting several tournaments in the past. 

“I am excited to receive the ITTF team in my official office which used to be the office of the Governor of Lagos State which was built in 1979 and this visit is significant, especially in this office.

“We are happy that our efforts have started yielding positive results with Quadri Aruna now ranked among the top 10 players in the world.

“In the past, it used to be the Chinese that used to dominate the ranking in the world.

“We will continue to support table tennis and we want all our visitors to enjoy the atmosphere in Lagos, we are ready to show what more we can do by hosting world championships as we are ready to do it and we believe ITTF will consider maybe for next year,” Hamzat said. 

Advertisement

The ITTF team, led by Executive Vice President Wahid Enitan Oshodi said the visit became necessary following the huge support ITTF has got from the state in the last eight years.

 “We are here on a Thank-You visit because Lagos has been a major supporter of table tennis in Africa, and we are happy that the support has started yielding fruit now that Aruna is now ranked among the top 10 players in the world.

“We hope that more players will come through like Aruna. Lagos has been the backbone of table tennis in Africa, and we hope that this support will be sustained by the state,” Oshodi said 

For the President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, Lagos has continued to raise the bar when it comes to hosting major table tennis tournaments while ITTF and ATTF would continue to look up to the state for more support.

“We are grateful to the government and good people of Lagos for their hospitality and support in the past few years and we at ITTF have recognised the important role that Lagos plays in Africa, and we hope we can continue to partner with the state to host more tournaments because of the experience in terms of putting a top-class organization,” El-Salhy. 

Advertisement

The Lagos team had the state Commissioners for Youth and Social Development, Segun Dawodu, and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Gbenga Omotosho.

The ITTF has Vice President of ITTF Africa, Prof Germain Karou; Deputy Chairman, ITTF Tribunal, Morenike Obi-Farinde; Chairman, Youth Committee, ITTF Africa, Kweku Tandoh and President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF),  Ishaku Tikon. 

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.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Governing Bodies

CAF President Dr Motsepe Announces Five Vice Presidents

blank

Published

on

blank

The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:

  • CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)  
  • CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
  • CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
  • CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
  • CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)

In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.

The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.

Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)

  • President:  Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)

CAF Technical and Development Committee

  • President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
  • Vice President:  Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)

CAF Medical Committee:

  • President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
  • Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Governing Bodies

Nigeria  becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council

blank

Published

on

blank

Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.

The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.

 Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.

He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.

Advertisement

An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.

He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.

“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”

Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.

“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.

Advertisement

He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.

“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Governing Bodies

Ex-FIFA Council member and Mali football chief released from jail

blank

Published

on

blank

A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.

Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.

He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.

The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.

He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.

Advertisement

Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.

While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.

-Reuters

 Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Most Viewed