Sports Groove

By Maxwell Kumoye       Nigeria's Damola Hannah Ojo and Esther Kolawole added to the country's medal haul at the Ulaanbaatar 2026 United World Wrestling (UWW) 3rd Ranking Series in Mongolia, joining Christianah Ogunsanya on the podium. The Ranking Series tournament, which offers valuable seeding points for upcoming global championships, saw Ojo produce a dominant performance on her way to the final. The reigning African champion opened her campaign with a commanding 10-0 victory over Mongolia's Tuvshinjargal Tarav before defeating India's Priya 5-1 in the semi-finals. However, her impressive run ended in the gold medal bout, where she fell 0-8 to India's Kajal, settling for a well-deserved silver medal. Earlier, Esther Kolawole secured bronze for Nigeria with a convincing 10-0 victory over China's Huan Yang in the third-place match. Kolawole had earlier made a strong statement by defeating world No. 1 Amina Tandelova, competing under the neutral bann...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye at the Warriors Basketball Court in Ilupeju, Lagos      The President of FIBA Africa Zone 3, Retired Colonel Sam Ahmedu on Friday described the Jordan Nwora Basketball Camp as the highway to success in the slamming and dunking game for young jammers looking to take their game to the next level.  Colonel Ahmedu gave this assurance in an exclusive interview with FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG'S Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye. He emphasized that the benefits of participating at the camp cannot be overemphasized, from skill acquisition to scholarships. “We have been able to fulfill our objective, the major one being to teach the youths the fundamentals of the game. We are also discovering some new and talented players from Liberia to Ghana and now Nigeria, we want to help them take their game to the next level,” he stated. For the retired army officer, his love for youth development spans over 40 years. He explained that lack...

By Maxwell Kumoye      Nigeria's Christianah Ogunsanya delivered a commendable performance to claim a bronze medal at the ongoing 3rd World Wrestling Series Tournament in Mongolia, becoming the first Nigerian wrestler to reach the podium at the prestigious ranking event. The reigning African champion fought her way to the bronze medal after edging Mongolia's Bayanmunkh 6-6 on technical criteria in a thrilling contest that silenced the home crowd. Often regarded as one of the toughest wrestling competitions outside the World Championships and Olympic Games, the World Wrestling Series has attracted elite wrestlers from across the globe seeking valuable ranking points and international exposure. Ogunsanya's journey to the podium began with a dominant 10-0 superiority victory over Mongolia's Tsovoo Gankhuyag. However, her quest for gold suffered a setback in the semifinals where she fell 10-0 by superiority to Japan's Kiyooka M. Undeterred, the Nigerian star...

By Maxwell Kumoye    Uganda's emergence as host of the 2031 African Games has been linked to the rotational hosting policy of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), a framework designed to ensure equitable distribution of the continent's biggest multi-sport event among Africa's regions. Investigations have revealed that the East African nation benefited significantly from the policy, which seeks to spread hosting opportunities across the continent rather than concentrating them in a few countries. The decision is also understood to have been aided by Nigeria's withdrawal from the race, leaving Uganda as the sole candidate for the prestigious event. For Nigeria, supporting the rotational arrangement aligns with the country's longstanding contribution to the growth of the African Games movement. The nation has already hosted the continental showpiece twice, first in Lagos in 1973 and again in Abuja in 2003, making it one of only ...

...As Nigeria celebrates historic seven-medal haul in Bamako By Maxwell Kumoye    Morocco reaffirmed its status as Africa's taekwondo powerhouse by winning the African Taekwondo Championships for a third consecutive time, while Nigeria recorded one of its best-ever performances at the continental showpiece with a historic seven-medal haul in Bamako, Mali. The championship, held from May 29 to 31, attracted more than 300 athletes from 32 countries, who battled for continental honours across various categories. Morocco once again dominated proceedings, finishing top in both the men's and women's divisions to successfully defend the title it has held since 2022. The North Africans secured six gold medals through Soufiane El Asbi in the men's +87kg category, Haitam Zaghouti in the men's -80kg division, Mohamed Amine Dhaheri in the men's -68kg class, Amina Dehhaoui in the women's -57kg category, Farah Touzani in the women's -46kg division and Ouma...

...As Sanwo-Olu promises world class Games By Maxwell Kumoye   Lagos State has received a major vote of confidence ahead of the maiden National Intermediate Games after the Main Organising Committee (MOC) concluded a comprehensive three-day inspection of facilities and infrastructure earmarked for the championship. The high-powered delegation, led by the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Bukola Olopade, expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness displayed by the host state, reinforcing expectations that the inaugural event will set new standards for grassroots sports development in Nigeria. The inspection team toured several key venues scheduled to host competitions, including: • The Teslim Balogun Stadium • National Stadium Complex • National Institute for Sports • Rowe Park Sports Centre • Yaba College of Technology • University of Lagos sports facilities and hostels • Elegbata Sports Centre • The Cricket Oval at Tafawa Ba...

  By Maxwell Kumoye      Nigeria maintained their unbeaten record against Poland at senior international level after goals from Terem Moffi and Paul Onuachu earned the Super Eagles a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the White-Reds in Warsaw on Wednesday night. Determined to bounce back from their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Ukraine on Sunday, Poland started brightly and almost took the lead in the fourth minute when Jakub Kaminski's close-range header narrowly missed the target, with Maduka Okoye beaten. Backed by more than 54,000 passionate supporters inside the 58,000-capacity Stadion PGE Narodowy, the hosts pressed aggressively through experienced striker Robert Lewandowski, Kaminski, Karol Swiderski, Piotr Zielinski and Kacper Potulski as they searched for an early breakthrough. However, it was Nigeria who struck first. The Super Eagles displayed composure and precision in attack, and in the 23rd minute, captain Wilfred Ndidi threaded a superb pass to Mos...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye    Renowned athletics coach Mutiu Oluwa has called on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to strictly adhere to its selection guidelines ahead of the Commonwealth Games trials scheduled for June 19-23 at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex in Lagos. Speaking on Tuesday during discussions on the Athletics Station WhatsApp platform, Oluwa stressed that the federation must ensure that all athletes seeking a place in Nigeria's track and field contingent to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games participate fully in the trials, including the finals of their respective events. The experienced coach noted that the AFN had already made participation in the trials mandatory for all athletes aspiring to represent the country and urged the federation not to make exceptions for any athlete, irrespective of status or location. Oluwa expressed concern over what he described as a recurring trend among some foreign-based athletes who so...

By Mishael Emmanuel    Nigeria has suffered another major setback in its quest to host a flagship international sporting event after losing the bid to stage the 2031 African Games to Uganda. The decision was confirmed during the Extraordinary Session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Youth, Culture and Sports (STC-YCS5), held virtually on June 2, 2026. Sources familiar with the bidding process revealed that Nigeria's proposal was rejected due to numerous technical and administrative shortcomings. The bid document was reportedly riddled with errors and lacked the level of professionalism expected for a project of such magnitude. Observers noted that sections of the submission appeared to have been lifted from Nigeria's unsuccessful bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with some reference numbers and details left unchanged. The apparent oversight raised serious concerns about the country's preparedness and credibility to host Africa's big...