Brazilians jeered their new President Michel Temer on Wednesday as he attended an Independence Day rally in Brasilia and the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The events were the first official gatherings that Temer had attended since becoming the country’s president on August 31 after Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office amid a declining economy and bribery scandal. Temer will now serve the remaining two years and four
months of her term.
Speaking on his quitting as coach of the team, Siasia said today:
“This is not really resignation; my contract was arranged to end with the Olympics. And so the contract has ended.
“What is very important is that I get every kobo that I am owed. I need the money now than ever and I believe I have really endured and I have been cooperative.
“I spoke with a reporter but I guess the one who are referring to was extracted from the interview I granted somebody else. What I was asked was my entire story at the Olympics and this included Atlanta camping.
“Of course a lot of things happened that I can’t be really happy about especially the way the team was portrayed. But that is over as my contract has also actually ended. What is left now is my cash and that is very, very important.”
Rory McIlroy has admitted he was “somewhat proven wrong” by the success of golf at the Rio Olympics.
The 27-year-old Northern Irishman withdrew from the much-discussed event in Brazil, citing concerns about the Zika virus and saying he would not even watch the tournament on TV.
McIlroy was one of a number of high-profile players, who withdrew from the men’s competition, which was ultimately won by Britain’s Justin Rose. At the time, McIlroy controversially said players did not see the Olympics as the “pinnacle” of golf, and that he would only watch the “stuff that matters” at the Games.
Now, however, he has performed a U-turn, admitting he misjudged golf’s place at the Olympic
Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe has instructed the Commissioner General of Zimbabwe Police Republic, Augustine Chihuri to arrest and detain the whole Zimbabwean Olympic Team members immediately the arrive at the Harare International Airport on Tuesday, August 23.
Zimbabwe which is one of the countries in the Olympics without a medal presented a team of 31 athletes. The closest any of the athletes came to win a contest was at the 8th position.
Mr. Mugabe who is incensed with the team’s performance told the Police Chief to arrest all the team members and detain them. “We have wasted the country’s money on these rats we call athletes. If you are not ready to sacrifice and win even copper or brass medals (referring the 4th and 5th positions) as our neighbors Botswana did, then why do you go to waste our money” he said
We have wasted money – Mugabe orders the arrest of Zimbabwean Olympic Team for not winning a Medal
After Japanese multi millionaire surgeon Katsuya Takasu kept to his promise by donating $390,000 to Nigeria’s team that won Bronze at Rio 2016, reports now have it that Mikel Obi has agreed to donate part of his own share to his U-23 teammates at the just concluded Rio 2016.
Usain Bolt arrived in Rio a legend with the sole aim to make himself immortal. Tonight the Jamaican sprinter took gold in the 200m to claim his 11th Olympic title and take the second of three steps to becoming achieving his aim.
In London four years ago Bolt claimed the double triple by winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold medals at The Games for the second time in his career. At Rio he planned to become the first man to win all three on three occasions. After winning gold over Justin Gatlin in the 100m last week the 29 year old has now won the second of his titles in the 200m tonight.
Now all that remains for Bolt to continue what is already the most incredible career is victory in the 4x100m final along with his fellow Jamaican teammates.
We may never see the likes of Bolt again with the 11 time World Champion likely to bow out of competing after next year’s World Championships in London. Can he finish the games with his perfect record intact and immortality achieved?
A medallist at the Olympic Games has been stripped of his medal for a doping offence – after RAT POISON was found in his system.
Izzat Artykov of Kyrgyzstan has become the first medallist in Rio to test positive for a banned substance.
But while drug cheats often seek to gain an advantage by staying one step ahead of World
Anti-Doping Agency, using chemicals that are invisible to current testing methods, Artykov went old school.
The substance detected in his body is strychnine, is a highly toxic alkaloid which is ordinarily used as
a pesticide for killing rodents.
When ingested, strychnine causes muscular convulsions before death through asphyxia.
Those convulsions had been thought to be beneficial in tiny doses in the past, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was used in small doses as an athletic performance enhancer, and recreational stimulant.
Strychnine was widely used in the early days of the Tour de France and appears on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances.
In fact strychnine was used in what is recorded as the first ever instance of drug use in the modern Olympics.
At the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas Hicks won the marathon thanks in part to several doses of strychnine, egg whites and brandy administered by his trainer mid-race, historians say.
But, as a Department of Health report points out, ‘small increases could potentially be fatal’.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the news on Thursday. Artykov had claimed gold in the 69kg category
Ejowvokoghene Divine Oduduru, Nigeria’s fastest man missed out on a spot at the 200m finals after coming 7th at the semi-finals heat early this morning at Rio 2016.
Nigeria’s Oduduru wowed Nigerians when he qualified for the semi-final of the Men’s 200m heat of the Rio 2016 Olympics, finishing second behind Usain Bolt.
Great Britain’s 16 year old Amy Tinkler is now Britain’s youngest athlete to win a medal at the Olympics in 32 years, after she won Bronze at the women’s floor exercise event on Tuesday. It is an astonishing rise for the teenager who just last month sat in a school hall to take her GCSE exams and will collect her results on the day she returns from Brazil. Holding back tears after her win, she said:
‘I can’t believe it. I knew I was Team GB’s youngest athlete but this is crazy and I’m still in shock at the minute. ‘It was a bit nerve-wracking watching the other athletes and knowing you are so close to a medal but I would have been happy with wherever I was place.’ ‘I went out there and did my best and enjoyed it so whatever the result, I would have been happy. I really am speechless.
‘I put no pressure on myself and neither did my coaches. They just told me I had nothing to lose and to go out and enjoy it. I had made the floor final at the Olympics and deserved to be in it so I enjoyed it. ‘As soon as I finished my routine, I knew I couldn’t do any better. ‘It has been an incredible week for British gymnastics. Hopefully there is a lot more to come from me and you will see me back out here in 2020.’
The Nigerian U-23 team at the Olympics holding in Brazil has warned the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung to stay away from the team.
The players whose next match puts them up against Germany in the Semi-Finals of the competition noted that the Sports Minister is a distraction to the team and hence his visits to the camp is unnecessary.
According to reports, the team warned the Sports Minister and his delegation against coming anywhere close to the dressing room before and during the match.
One of the top players in the team on Monday night said: “We are set for the semi final clash with Germany.
“We have perfected our game plan to qualify for the final and win the gold medal for Nigeria like our 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games colleagues”.
The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports has refunded the $4,600 paid for the team in São Paulo on their way to Salvador by the Dream Team’s captain, Mikel Obi.
The ministry also assured players and officials of the team that they will be given all that is due to them.
The Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Chinyeaka Ohaa, said this while addressing the players and officials after the 2-0 defeat of Denmark in Saturday’s quarter final match in Salvador.
He said, “I am happy to be a Nigerian, because in spite of all the challenges, you have taken the world by storm; you have by your performance given happiness to more than 160 million Nigerians.
Football is the biggest unifying factor in Nigeria today. From Mr. President to the average Nigerian you have made everyone proud today.
“I am humbled by your efforts, your commitment, your patriotism. I want to assure you that your sacrifices will not be in vain. Aside whatever the NFF have for you, we will as much as possible make you happy, if only you will be patient with us. Today, with your performance, I am convinced that you will get that gold.”
In his response, Mikel said, “We want to thank you for your fatherly support. In truth, there have been a lot of challenges, but every time we go onto the field, we forget about everything and make sure our fatherland comes first.
“We have done that so far and we will continue to do that, but we need more motivation.”
A Chinese diver missed out on Olympic gold but bagged a diamond ring after her teammate boyfriend surprised her by popping the question .
He Zi got the shock of her life when partner Qin Kai interrupted the medal ceremony of the women’s 3 metre springboard event to get down on one knee.
Qin, who won a bronze medal in his own synchronized diving event last week, took to the stage in front of a crowd of thousands after He received her silver medal.
She later said: “I didn’t know he would propose today and I didn’t expect myself to marry myself out
so early.
“I saw him during the afternoon and he seemed to be memorising something, so I asked him ‘what are you doing?’ and he said he was singing.
“I’ve forgotten most of what he’s said (during the proposal), but it’s largely what you can expect like promises, but what touched me the most is that he said he was willing to be bullied by me for life.”
Nigeria Olympic team coach Samson Siasia has lashed out at how “disrespectful” the authorities have been to his team, saying he will now support the boys should they insist on boycotting Saturday’s quarterfinal against Denmark.
Siasia’s scathing comments on national radio Friday confirmed reports on the latest crisis that has engulfed his team in Brazil.
“We have been disrespected from all angles – the sports ministry, the Nigeria Football Federation. Is that how you will treat your own children? We are not street kids,” former Super Eagles coach Siasia fired away on Brila FM sports radio Friday morning.
“We have only been paid allowances for 11 days. There is no match bonus. What of all the months we have been training in Nigeria and Atlanta? That’s not fair.
“I have not received my salary for the past five months.
“Everything is upside down and the boys don’t want to play anymore. Whatever they want to do, I’m with them. They are right for fighting for their rights.”
Siasia continued: “The country already has a bad image, but through football it has got some good image, but still they won’t let us play.”
“I have begged these boys, but I cannot do more than what I have done to get this team up to this point.”
“I have done my best and now I am tired.”
Siasia also put a lie to an official statement by the NFF that there was no order for kits to be returned to Nigeria after the Rio Olympics.
As usual, the NFF were quick to dismiss a media report that the NFF secretariat ordered that kits be returned to the office from Rio.
But Siasia told Brila FM: ”The NFF ordered that they bring back the jerseys (from Brazil). Siji Lagunju (of the NFF technical department) was directed to bring the jerseys back to the NFF.”
Germany’s weightlifting coach has called for seven countries currently competing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games to be banned from international competition — and named an eighth — for doping abuse.
“Besides Russia and Bulgaria (who are already banned from weightlifting at the Rio Games), many other countries also have systematic doping,” Germany’s coach Oliver Caruso told daily newspaper Bild.
“Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine should also be banned.
“These countries are robbing us of starting places (for other athletes), perhaps even medals.”
In an explosive interview, given to Bild in the Olympic village in Rio, Caruso also pointed the finger at Azerbaijan, who have no weightlifters competing in Rio after being stripped of two spots by the sport’s governing body last month.
“In Kazakhstan, there have been 27 positive doping cases since 2012, in Azerbaijan there have been 24 — and so it goes on,” said Caruso.
“Kazakhstan and Belarus should have been banned (due to the number of doping cases) for a year before the Olympics, but that will only come after the Games.
“It’s like they’re winding us up.
“Some get banned, some come back from a ban and can start again.
“That doesn’t help much, because they’ll probably be back again in time for the next world championships.”
Caruso’s words come after a Kazakh weightlifter Nijat Rahimov, who only completed a two-year doping ban last year, smashed a world record to claim Olympic gold on Wednesday.
Caruso says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should take a tougher stance on any nation with a track-record of systematic doping.
Credit: AFP
Perennial medal contenders Argentina eased past Nigeria 94-66 in each team’s Rio Olympic debut as Facundo Campazza scored 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point territory. Manu Ginobili of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs added 12 points and the Brooklyn Nets’ Luis Scola 18 as the more experienced Argentines proved too much for the sloppy African qualifiers. Argentina is the only country since 1988 to have won an Olympic basketball gold medal other than the USA.
They won in Athens in 2004 on the strength of their “golden generation” of core players including Ginobili, Scola and Andres Nocioni. But with Ginobili now 39 and the other two 36 years old, time is running out for that decorated cadre to take home another medal. Cheered on by a boisterous turnout of fans from their nearby homeland, which borders on Brazil, Argentina jumped out to an 11-0 lead. They never looked back, using tough defence and superior ball movement to set up eight first-half three-pointers and take a 50-31 halftime lead. More of the same followed in the second half, with the Argentines cruising to the final buzzer. They finished with 15 three-pointers. Nigeria was led by Ikechukwu Diogu’s 15 points and 13 rebounds, and 14 points from Ebi Ere.
Michael Phelps of USA reacts after his team won the gold.
As he has done so many times in the past, Phelps kissed the medal on the podium and waved at the crowd with tears in his eyes and a supportive arm for an emotional Held and Dressel who were collecting the first Olympic medals of their careers.
“I told them, it’s OK to cry. It’s good to see some emotion as one of the old dudes,” said Phelps.
The 35-year-old Anthony Ervin, who won 4×100 relay silver in 2000, swum in the heats to collect another medal 16 years after his first.
Jimmy Feigen and Blake Pieroni also swam in the heats.
The victory maintained a run of U.S. success in the event, with the Americans medaling in every 4×100 freestyle relay raced at the Games since it was first included in 1964.
It also meant the United States ended the second day of the meet with two golds, level with Australia who won two on Saturday.
“I think we did our best on the night and are really happy with the bronze medal,” said Australian James Magnussen who swam his team’s third leg and paid tribute to Phelps.
“Michael is definitely an inspiration to many of us,” he told reporters. “To stay on top of the world for that many Olympics is something that most of us couldn’t even dream of.
“It gives us guys who are sort of in the middle period of our careers a lot of inspiration to think we can keep going for another Olympics.
“It’s always great to see a fairy tale like that unfold in a race you are part of.
Russian athletes have been banned from competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympics following the country’s doping scandal.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had opened suspension proceedings following the McLaren report, and has now confirmed the ban.
That report, published last month, detailed a state-sponsored doping programme operated by Russia.
The Russian Paralympic Committee is to appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In contrast to the IPC, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose not to hand Russia a blanket ban from the Olympic Games.
The Rio 2016 Paralympics begin in 31 days’ time, on 7 September, and 267 Russian athletes across 18 sports will now miss the Games.
“The anti-doping system in Russia is broken, corrupted and entirely compromised,” said IPC president Sir Philip Craven at a news conference on Sunday.
“The Russian Paralympic Committee are unable to ensure compliance with and enforcement of the IPC anti-doping code and the world anti-doping code within their own national jurisdiction and they can not fulfil its fundamental obligation as an IPC member.
“As a result, the Russian Paralympic Committee is suspended with immediate effect.”
Russian Paralympic Committee member Evgeniy Bukharov told BBC World Service: “I’m disappointed and really shocked. The IOC decided to stay for the rights of the clean athletes and only to fight against the athletes who are involved in doping.
“I spoke with my team-mates from the organising committee and saw the reaction of the Russian Paralympic team, the athletes and coaches. They are very frustrated with this decision. If someone over four years tries to do their best to participate in the Games, suddenly to hear that they should not participate frustrated them.”
Read more : http://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/37002582
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will represent Spain at the Olympic Games in Rio, despite injury concerns.
World number five Nadal spent a lengthy period after his practice session on centre court discussing his plans with the team doctor and team captain Conchita Martinez.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner has committed himself to playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles at the Games, despite worries over whether or not his left wrist injury will survive the gruelling challenges ahead.
He is scheduled to play doubles with Marc Lopez and mixed doubles with French Open champion Garbine Muguruza.”Yesterday (Monday) and today (Tuesday) have been my strongest training in two months and the wrist has not gotten worse,” he added.
Nadal admitted that his best medal chance may be in the doubles where the burden is shared.”It’s true that in doubles, I might go better, but you never know,” he said.”I will do everything possible to make my role the best and bring something positive for Spain.”
Nadal’s decision to play in all three events was a major boost for the organisers who on Tuesday saw world number four Stan Wawrinka pull out with a back injury.Wawrinka was replaced in the draw by big-serving Australian Sam Groth.
Nadal is due to carry his country’s flag at Friday’s opening ceremony in Rio.
Head coach of Nigeria’s U-23 team, Samson Siasia, has revealed that he is being owed salaries for five months, by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Siasia is currently in Atlanta, Georgia with his squad, as they continue to prepare for next month’s Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
“We are suffering in Atlanta. We have not received any money since we arrived this training camp. I have not been paid for the past five months,” Siasia said.
“We will not hold the country to ransom by threatening not to play our matches, but the government has to come to our rescue.
“I know that by the time the Olympics will be over, our monies will not be paid.”
The Dream Team VI are scheduled to fly to Brazil from USA on Friday.
Swimming’s world governing body on Monday banned seven Russians from competing at next month’s Rio Olympics in the fall-out from Russia’s state-run doping.
FINA was the first sport to impose bans in light of Sunday’s IOC decision, which ruled against a blanket ban on all Russian competitors in Rio, instead leaving it up to each sports federation to decide whether to accept Russians.
Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, both 4x100m freestyle bronze-medal winners with the Russian team at the 2012 Olympics, and Yulia Efimova, another 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, were among the seven banned.
Credit: AFP
Mr Solomon Dalung, the Minister of Youth and Sports on Friday in Abuja inaugurated the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Women in Sport Commission to address low women representation in sports administration.
At the inauguration, Dalung, who was represented by Hauwa-Kulu Akinyemi, Director, Federations and Elite Athletes in the ministry, said female athletes had won more medals for the nation in the history of sports in Nigeria.
He added that “women are major stakeholders in sports and a good number of them now occupy important positions. This has empowered them to support female involvement and participation in sports both technically and administratively.
“But this is not enough as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) objective for NOCs, international and national federation affiliated to the Olympic Movement stipulates 25 per cent decision making positions for women.
“The Olympic Charter states that one of the roles of the IOC is to encourage and support the promotion of women in sports at all levels.”
This, the minister said, was to implement the principle of equality between men and women in sports administration.
He noted that “this commitment extends beyond concerted efforts to increase women’s participation in the Olympic Games to ensuring equity in the involvement of women in the general administration of sports.
“Gender equality is considered a critical component for effective and inclusive sports for the promotion of women and girls in sports at all levels.”
Earlier, the NOC President, Habu Gumel, had said that the occasion marked another landmark in the Olympics Movement in Nigeria.
He said “we are privileged to set in place one of the vital pillars of the Olympic Movement, the NOC Women Commission.”
Gumel said that for decades, the IOC had been keen on issues relating to women in sports worldwide.
“The IOC being desirous of ensuring the graduation of women involvement in sports, set criteria for NOCs on minimal requirement for women participation in sports as athletes and administrators is not optional but mandated, he said.
He expressed optimism that with the Commission’s individual and collective efforts, it would have all that was required to affect women positively in Nigeria.
“The NOC has a lot of confidence in members of the Commission and the members are capable of the challenges ahead.
“I urged you to cooperate with the chairperson in the collective task of moving sports forward in the country.”
Mary Onyali, the Chairperson of the Commission said she was encouraged by the calibre of women in the commission and with the support of the NOC she hoped to deliver on its mandate.
She described the women in the commission as “women of notable character,” adding that she hoped they would bring it to bear in the commission.
Onyali thanked the NOC for the confidence reposed in them and promised to work in harmony to move sports forward.
(NAN)
Earlier this week, our polymath Prime Minister, who had on many occasions ‘rebased ‘our minds that our economy is standing gidigba, finally announced that we should expect some measure of imposition on our ‘normal’ life as a nation.
I can’t imagine a Nigeria where a minister can’t ride a three-million-dollar car; a Nigeria where a Director in a government parastatal can’t own properties estimated at billions of naira; a Nigeria where gross ingratiation at the expense of the masses and massive corruption can’t be attenuated to mere pilfering… that will be an abnormal Nigeria.
They brazenly show feigned statistics that are far from the realities of the living conditions of the masses. God knows how they come about those figures. How can an outsider tell you the interior of your house better than you know it yourself? The fish in my pot I know so well. So I need no Fitch to tell me what I know. Victoria’s secret is in public glare.
Excerpt from Societal Fragments.
In order to adjust to this life of austerity that’s already oozing from Aso Rock, I’ll adhere to stringent word count today so I don’t fall into the category of luxuriation. I am sure they’ll forget soon when there is a ‘stringent’ need for the Presidential fleet to be upgraded with one or two more aircrafts; then all of us will continue to live our ‘normal life’.
Still in the spirit of parsimony, National Sports Commission should start developing the ‘high jumpers and mountaineers’ at the National Assembly for the next Olympics. No doubt, we are gold-bound if these guys are enlisted early enough.
I would not like to interrupt the fun am catching at the Ake Arts and Books Festival. Check back next week, we are rebasing.
Desiree Henry was one of the seven young athletes who lit the cauldron during the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. Desiree and I attended the same secondary school, so I was very pleased to see how far she has come. She is a sprinter and she hopes to participate in the Rio 2016 Olympic games. She visited the school again on Friday, as she likes to remember where her dream started. I spoke to her about her experience during the Olympic games and she was very interesting. I then asked her for a mini photoshoot, which she was happy to do. We went around the school and outside the school for about ten minutes and below are the pictures I got. Hope you like them!
I was extremely glad to have bumped into Desiree that day. It reminded me of the reason I carry my camera with me everywhere I go…there’s always an opportunity waiting to be grabbed.
Comfort then jumped in front of the camera and here’s what we came up with:
Sometimes she thinks she’s Michael Jackson.
