Category: Sports

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Anderson Pierson has called on athletes to break world records while competing at the 2023 Paris World Para Athletics Championships.

Over 1,300 athletes from 107 nations will be competing in 168 medals events at the 2023 IPC World Para Athletics Championships, underway in the French capital from 08 to 17 July.

The 10th edition of the 2023 Paris World Para Athletics Championships will make history as the Para Athletics World Championships kicked off at the Charlety Stadium on Saturday.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Pierson said for the first time, the world champs take place in a place that will be hosting the Paralympics Games the following year, and this is an opportunity for athletes to familiarise themselves with the venue and conditions of the city that will be hosting one of the biggest, events in the world.

“This allows athletes to learn and break records as they prepare for the Paralympics Games. Some of the athlete’s journey to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games begins here. I, therefore, call on all of you to take this time and opportunity to enjoy yourselves while competing at these championships as you prepare for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games,” he said.

Namibian athletes competing in the 2023 IPC World Para Athletic Championships are T11 male sprinters, Ananias Shikongo, Kinda Chris, and Alfredo Bernado, T11 female sprinter Lahja Ishitile, and T12 sprinter Lahja Ipinge, T13 sprinter Johannes Nambala, T47 sprinter Bradley Murere, T37 sprinter Petrus Karuli, and T44 sprinter Denzel Namene.

The athletes are accompanied by their guides, Even Tjiuiju, Hatango Murere, Kelvin Goagoseb, Philipus Paulus and Sem Shimanda.

The management team consists of Jean-Paul Schmidt who heads the delegation, team manager Michael Hamukwaya, Ruan Mocke (physiotherapist), Letu Hamhola (head coach) and Naomi Schmidt (assistant coach).

Ishitile and Karuli are the first athletes competing in the T11 and T37 400 metres (m) and 100m respectively on Sunday evening.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The national senior football team “Brave Warriors” lost their second match of the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup against Eswatini and are in a do-or-die situation against Botswana on Tuesday.

The 2023 Senior Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup is underway in Durban, South Africa. Namibia is drawn in Group A alongside Botswana, Eswatini and host nation South Africa.

In their second match at the championship, the Brave Warriors opened the scoring in the 34th minute through a brilliant free kick by Absalom Iimbindi but lost the match 2-1. Their hopes of qualifying for the next round of the competition are almost impossible.

Two goals in a space of three minutes from Eswatini in the first half turned the game on its head just before halftime. Sifiso Matse equalised for Eswatini and then almost immediately his teammate Bongwa Matsebula had them in front and they managed to hold on for the win.

With the defeat on Saturday afternoon for the Brave Warrior, this means that South Africa who won their match against Botswana earlier in the day heads the group with four points and will meet Eswatini next. Eswatini has three points, the same number as Botswana. Namibia has one point and is bottom of the group.

In an interview after the match, the Brave Warrior’s head coach Collin Benjamin said they dominated possession in the first half but failed to capitalise on their advantage.

“We got ourselves influenced by the players of Eswatini. They knew what they wanted and used that to their advantage and despite us taking the lead we did not put authority on the game which Eswatini did,” he said.

Benjamin added that his team got knocked on the day but they need to stand up and dust themselves off for their next encounter.

“We are looking at this new generation of players that we have to give time so that they can also grow to the standard we want them to be,” Benjamin said.

Only the top team in each pool qualifies automatically for the semi-finals of the Cosafa Cup along with the best-placed runner-up, so there is little margin for error. Namibia’s next match against Botswana will be at 18h00 on Tuesday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Speaker, Katsina State House of Assembly, Alhaji Nasir Daura, has commended the management and players of Katsina United Football Club (FC) for gaining promotion back to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

This is contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Katsina by the Assembly’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Aminu Idris.

The speaker acknowledged the commitment of the entire management staff, players as well as the technical crew for living up to expectations of sports loving people in the state.

Daura further noted that with this development, the name of Katsina State would keep on resonating in the sports arena.

While describing sports as a modern lucrative venture, he assured of more effective legislations that would enhance the sector across the state.

The state’s number three citizen however enjoined the team to exhibit a high sense of sportsmanship and endurance in the professional league.

He also expressed optimism that the lads have what it takes to go the extra mile by winning the league crown at the end of the 2023/2024 season.

The club succeeded in returning to the league after winning two out of the three playoff matches in the ongoing Nigeria National League (NNL) Super-Eight in Asaba, Delta.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Senior national football team coach Collin Benjamin says the lack of experience in his squad was evident when they drew one-all against host nation South Africa in their opening match of the Cosafa Cup.

The 2023 Senior Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup is underway in Durban, South Africa. Namibia is drawn in Group A alongside host nation South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini.

In their opening Group A match at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban Wednesday night, the two nations played to a hard-fought stalemate which saw Elmo Kambindu giving Namibia the lead just before the halftime break. The Namibian talisman found himself unmarked at the back post and had the simplest of headed chances to put his side in front after a brilliant cross from Bethuel Muzeu just minutes before halftime.

In the second half, it took just three minutes of play for the home team to be back on level terms when Rowan Human scored his first international goal just outside the 18-yard area. But despite both teams pushing for the winner later in the match, neither side could find the back of the net as the game ended 1-1.

In an interview after the match, Benjamin said he was happy with the way his team started the match.

“We started well. In the areas we call the war zone, we had aggression. We could have gone into the lead way earlier in the match, but our final touch failed us,” he said, adding that Muzeu and Kambindu connected well to score the goal, and credit should be given to them for their hard work.

The coach also added that inexperience hit them when their opponents had a throw-in, but his players could not react fast as they had their backs against the opponents.

“We are still going to work hard to get a point from the next match. We are hopeful of collecting enough points so we can go through to the next round of the competition as group winners,” Benjamin said.

Namibia’s next match in the competition will be against Eswatini. The match starts at 18h00 on Saturday at the King Zwelithini Stadium.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The head coach of the senior national women’s football team, Paulus Shipanga, announced a 23-women’s squad on Wednesday for the 2024 Olympic qualification.

The Brave Gladiators are scheduled to take on Equatorial Guinea in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the First National Bank Stadium on 13 July, with the return leg scheduled for 19 July 2023 at Estadio de Malabo in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Shipanga said he is impressed with how the team is shaping up ahead of the games.

“The players are in good shape physically and mentally. We depart tomorrow (Thursday) for South Africa for the final stretches but overall the team looks good, no serious injuries have been reported, and all the players are in camp except Millicent Hikuam and Annoushka Kordom, who will meet us in South Africa,” he said.

He added that the Brave Gladiators are targeting the next stage of the competition.

“Equatorial Guinea won’t be a walk in the park, they want to advance to the next stage. We have a blend of tried and tested players, young players as well as new faces in the team who are eager to compete at the highest level,” Shipanga said.

The 23-woman squad departing for South Africa is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Agnes Kauzuu, Melissa Mateus and Quindra Batista

Defenders: Vewe Kotjipati, Lovisa Mulunga, Emma Naris and Lydiana Nanamus, Julia Rutjindo and Ndapewa Katuta

Midfielders: Ivone Kooper, Memory Ngonda, Juliana Blou, Millicent Hikuam and Annoushka Kordom, Hanavi Muhinatjo, Twelikondjela Amukoto, Elina Ulumbu and Anna Somses

Forwards: Zenatha Coleman, Jekohasana Kamatjipose, Anna Shikusho, Fiola Vliete and Kylie van Wyk.

The winners of the first round of the women’s Olympic qualifying tournament from the scheduled nine ties on the home and away bases will join the seven highest-ranked teams from the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in the second round.

The Brave Gladiators are scheduled to play their first match at 15h00 on 13 July in Johannesburg while the return leg is to be played on 19 July at 16h00 in Malabo.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The FCT Unity Football Championship will kick-off on July 8 across the six area councils of the territory, with the grand finale scheduled to hold on July 29 in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

MOO Mohammed, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), of the Adedoyin Benjamins-Laniyi (ABL) Unity Championship 2023, said this on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the championship would be used to discover young talents who would be nurtured and sent to clubs abroad to ply their trade.

Mohammed said that 12 teams, two each would be drawn from the six Area Councils of the FCT to compete at the second stage of the championship to be hosted in AMAC.

He said that there would be a scouting team that would be on ground at the quarter, semi-final and final to scout for the best legs in the tournament.

In a remark, Benjamins-Laniyi, the initiator of the Championship, said that it was a privilege to convene a football tournament in Abuja.

“It is my privilege to be the initiator in the Centre of Unity, the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to convene and engage in a football tournament in the spirit of unity.

“ The most critical ingredient of any game is the power to drive with your team the courage of that goal.

“Once you can do that, you don’t see colour, you don’t see age, you don’t see religion, you don’t see your church’s denomination. All you see is the goal. Can I score the winning goal?

“The winning goal for Nigeria is the unity, that we may be one; unity through sportsmanship.

“You know, the power of sportsmanship is what you find played out in political advocacy. You go against all the odds to emerge a winner“, she said.

She urged the Super Falcons to make the country proud by winning the trophy at the 2023 FIFA Women world cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Benjamins-Laniyi advised them to go all out to compete without fear of their opponents when the hostility begins on July 20 to Aug. 20.

In attendance were the representatives of the Chairman of the FCT Football Association, FCT Social Development Secretariat among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that former Super Eagles players, Kanu Nwankwo and Femi Ajilore are the ambassadors for the ABL -Unity Championship 2023.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria