Senior international Olympics official John Coates said on Saturday the delayed Tokyo Olympics could end up being the greatest Games ever, coming next year as the world emerges from COVID-19 crisis. Coates, Australia’s Olympic chief and head of the International Olympic Committee’s inspectorate for the Games, cited the examples of positive Summer Games that followed the two world wars of the 20th century. The Tokyo Games were postponed for a year to 2021 in the...
There is no chance of a rematch between world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and American Deontay Wilder going ahead without a crowd, the Briton’s promoter Frank Warren said on Wednesday. Fury overwhelmed Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch in February, seizing the WBC crown with a seventh round stoppage. They had previously fought to a draw in December 2018, and a third bout between the two was set for Las Vegas in July. But this...
The English Premier League season could be cancelled if clubs did not agree to play the remaining 92 fixtures in neutral venues amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said on Wednesday. Professional football has been suspended since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the United Kingdom suffering the highest death toll in Europe. Discussions are continuing about resuming matches. This was after clubs were told this month on a Premier League conference call that...
Rangers International FC of Enugu on Wednesday mourned the Enugu State Football Association (ENSFA) Chairman, Chidi Ofo-Okenwa, who died in the early hours of Tuesday. Rangers’ Media Officer, Norbert Okolie in a statement, said that Rangers family were still in shock over the seasoned football administrator’s death. According to him, Rangers board, management, coaches, players, and staff have joined millions of football aficionados around the world to mourn the sudden passing of the Enugu State...
Turkey plans to host the Champions League final in late August, the head of its football federation said on Wednesday. Turkey will also resume domestic soccer leagues without fans on June 12 after a three-month suspension caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Two months ago European soccer’s governing body UEFA had indefinitely postponed the Champions League showpiece, which had been scheduled to be played in Istanbul on May 30. Turkish Football Federation (TFF) chairman Nihat Ozdemir...
Players at Serie A champions Juventus were among those who returned to training following the coronavirus stoppage on Tuesday amid suggestions that matches could be played at neutral venues if the league restarts. Some players were filmed and photographed arriving for individual training sessions including midfielder Aaron Ramsey, defender Daniele Rugani — one of three Juventus players to have tested positive for COVID-19 in March — and captain Leonardo Bonucci. Bonucci was pictured driving a...
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has described the death of one of its Executive Committee members, Mr Chidi Okenwa, as shocking and devastating. A statement from NFF Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, quoted NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, paying tributes to Okenwa. According to the statement, Okenwa was part of a meeting of the NFF Executive Committee held via video conferencing penultimate Friday. It was that same day that Okenwa celebrated his 50th birthday. “This is...
Chidi Ofor-Okenwa, the Chairman of the Enugu State Football Association (ENSFA) is dead. The media officer of Rangers Football Club, Norbert Okolie and a very close member of the family, who pleaded anonymity confirmed the death to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday. They told NAN that Ofo-Okenwa died in his residence at the early hours of Tuesday after an undisclosed illness. NAN reports that Okenwa had been in active service as the ENSFA...
Anambra Sports Club (ASC) on Sunday in Awka, shared food items to 250 residents of the state with the intention of cushioning the effect of lockdown declared due to Coronavirus pandemic in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries went home with mini bags of rice, tubers of yam and beans. Some officials of the club, including four coaches and a physiotherapist, also got N20, 000 cash empowerment each in...
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that the Tokyo Olympics may not take place next year unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained. His comment has come as the Japanese capital city’s governor requested an extension of Japan’s state of emergency. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japanese government last month postponed the Games until July 2021 because of the coronavirus crisis. With the epidemic’s worldwide infection rate climbing and experts suggesting a vaccine...
