Sports Groove

COMMONWEALTH GAMES  By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye      Olympian Mary Onyali has applauded the successful conduct of the just-concluded Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Commonwealth Games Trials in Lagos, attributing the smooth organisation of the championship to early preparation and strong collaboration among key sports bodies. Onyali, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated track and field icons, said the partnership between the National Sports Commission (NSC), the AFN and the Elite Podium Board was central to the success of the trials, which brought together some of the country’s finest athletes in the race for places at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. “From top to bottom, early preparation plus coordinated and cordial relationship between these three entities — the NSC, AFN and the Elite Podium Board, made the difference,” Onyali said. The former Nigerian sprint queen also praised the welfare arrangements put in place for athletes w...

By Maxwell Kumoye  Favour Oghene Tejiri Ashe delivered a statement performance at the Commonwealth Games Trials, storming to victory in the men's 100 metres with a personal best and world-class time of 9.93 seconds. The Delta State sprinter produced an explosive run from the blocks and maintained his dominance through the finish line to become the only athlete in the field to break the 10-second barrier. The impressive mark underlined his credentials as one of Nigeria's leading sprint prospects ahead of major international competitions. Fakorede Nicholas Adekalu of Mississippi State University also dipped under his previous best, clocking 9.98 seconds to finish second and register a personal best performance. Chidera Ezeakor of Team Customs continued his remarkable rise in the sprint ranks, placing third in another personal best time of 10.03 seconds. Teenage sensation Tejiri Godwin, representing Bayelsa State, showed immense promise by finishing fourth in a persona...

...Enekwechi extends dominance with fifth shot put crown By Maxwell Kumoye and Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye at Yaba Tech Sports Complex, Lagos      Nigeria's sprint scene took centre stage on Monday at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex, Lagos, as US-based Blessing Ogundiran raced to victory in the women's 100m final at the Commonwealth Games Trials. Ogundiran produced a commanding performance to stop the clock at 11.12 seconds against a headwind of -0.5m/s, securing the national title ahead of a strong field. The race, however, also delivered a major milestone for home-based athletics as Miracle Ezechukwu clocked a personal best of 11.15 seconds to finish second and attain the qualifying benchmark for the Ben Aghazu Excellence in Athletics Prize. Fellow US-based sprinter Olayinka Olajide placed third in 11.28 seconds to complete a highly competitive podium finish. Speaking after her victory, Ogundiran revealed that patience and adherence to ra...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye      Yaba came alive on Sunday as the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Commonwealth Games Trials got underway at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex. Away from the competition arena, Nigeria's shot put star, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, fondly known as Mr. Consistent, offered a rare insight into the realities of life as an elite athlete. Speaking with FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG's Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye, Enekwechi highlighted the sacrifices, pain and discipli mmne that athletes endure in pursuit of excellence, often without the public fully appreciating what happens behind the scenes. According to the multiple-time African champion, athletes are not machines but human beings constantly dealing with physical strain, mental pressure and hidden injuries while striving to represent their countries with pride. "People see the competition day, the results and the celebration, but they do not always see what athle...

Current holders Argentina has knocked France off top spot as the No. 1 digital brand among World Cup teams, according to the latest Sports Social Pulse rankings from the University of South Carolina’s Social Media Insights Lab and Sports Business Journal. At a World Cup, the football is only half the contest. The other half plays out on phones, laptops, with teams building fanbases, sponsor value and global reach that outlast any single tournament. Argentina gets it. The federation is squeezing every drop out of its 2022 triumph, flooding TikTok with championship highlights, behind-the-scenes footage and Lionel Messi content that keeps a worldwide audience hooked. The rankings weigh audience size, visibility, engagement, growth and cross-platform reach. France, top of the initial list, slipped to second. Brazil, Portugal and England complete the top five, with Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Morocco and Germany filling out the top 10. The clearest proof that results drive reach is...

Carlos Alberto Parreira has been hospitalised in his fight against cancer. The 83-year-old World Cup winner Parreira was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2023 and in a statement the hospital said it would not provide details. The AP reported that Zinho, a member of the 1994 Brazil squad told journalists the former coach “is not in good shape” and had “lung problems that are putting him in a ventilator at the hospital.” “He is stable, we need to wait. Doctors are giving him the best care, all we can do is to pray for Parreira.” Parreira is one of the most distinguished managers in international football. He began his career in the 1960s and formed part of Brazil’s backroom staff at the 1970 World Cup when Pelé and Tostão guided the South Americans to their third World Cup. Twenty-four years later, he led Brazil to their fourth World Cup title at the 1994 iteration in the United States. He also formed a part of the Brazil setup at the 2014 World Cup when the five-time wor...

Somali football has been in World Cup news with the US refusal to allow its World Cup referee Omar Artan into the country to officiate. It would have been a first-time engagement in the World Cup finals of anyone from Somalia and a federation that is battling to re-establish the game after years of brutal civil war. But football is more than just a World Cup and this week the Somali football women’s Under 17 football squad became the first women’s team from the country to compete in international competition at the CECAFA women’s U-17 championship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The team also registered two milestones for the nation; Somalia’s biggest ever win in any football match in its history (an 8-2 win over Sudan), plus the first hat-trick in a debut international tournament scored by a Somali footballer. Najmo Mohamed celebrates her hat trick. All pictures by Abdulkadir Muse Osman Somalia’s women exited the tournament at the group stage but with the records f...

Fox Sports has passed one billion views for World Cup content across its digital and social platforms in just the first five days of the tournament. “We expected to get to that mark. I don’t think in a million years we expected to get to that mark in five days,” said Fox Sports SVP of digital Michael Bucklin. “The World Cup gods are shining down kindly upon us at the moment.” The pace is record-breaking. Fox is on course to beat its own digital high of 1.3 billion views, set by the 2025 Dodgers–Blue Jays World Series, with the entire 2022 World Cup (1.2 billion) now in its sights. The host nations did the early heavy lifting, with Mexico, Canada, and the US match days driving the biggest numbers before tournament favourites Argentina, France and England had even kicked off. Fox’s big bets on social are landing. The ‘Always On’ YouTube strategy is humming, with Chef Nick’s food content alone topping 100 million views, including 21 million for a Netherlands-Japan tie-in. On X...

UEFA has further strengthened its alliance with Europe’s leading clubs after unveiling a record €244 million compensation package for teams releasing players for international duty during the cycle leading up to EURO 2028.  The scheme, agreed in tandem with the European Foootball Club organisation, will see clubs paid substantially more than they currently receive under FIFA’s equivalent World Cup programme, with UEFA keen to keep Europe’s powerful club game onside amid an increasingly crowded international calendar.  The €244 million fund represents a pile-on increase on previous cycles and will be split across UEFA’s national team competitions. Of that fund, a total of €104 million has been earmarked for player releases during UEFA Nations League fixtures and EURO 2028 qualifiers, with clubs expected to receive around €3,845 per player per day during official international windows.  The remaining €140 million will be distributed to clubs whose players featur...

The eight teams in action on Thursday all marked the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, with captains exchanging pennants before kick-off in a coordinated stand against abusive language. Captains in the Czechia/South Africa, Mexico/South Korea, Switzerland/Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada/Qatar fixtures carried pennants reading ‘We Play Together. We Stand Against Hate’ with the message in English on one side and each team’s native language on the other. Further stadium activations were planned across the day. Behind the symbolism sits a hard number. FIFA says it has deleted more than 30 million abusive posts and comments since launching its social media protection service before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The tool scans players’ public accounts and hides or removes abuse before they see it. But the more striking figure is how fast the problem is scaling. FIFA says it has already removed nearly 400,000 negative or abusive posts in the opening days of this tournamen...

The United Soccer League is raising the standard for how it looks after its players. The USL has expanded its partnership with Kitman Labs, the sports data and technology firm, in a new multi-year deal that puts performance medicine at the heart of the league. Every club in the second-tier USL Championship will get access to Kitman’s iP: Intelligence Platform, pulling medical and performance data into one place. The aim is to create consistent workflows across the league, better collaboration between staff, and the kind of clean data that makes real injury surveillance possible. Kitman founder and chief executive Stephen Smith said the USL has been clear about its ambition. “By committing to a league-wide Performance Medicine platform, the USL is setting a benchmark for how modern leagues can use integrated intelligence to protect athlete welfare, unlock performance insights, and build a sustainable future for the game.” This builds on last year’s deal covering the Gainbrid...

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has reached a landmark in player registrations with 120,000 signed up for the first time – a milestone it says reflects the growth of the game across the country and the governing body’s push to make football more accessible at every level.  The 120,000 figure is up 25% from 96,000 in 2021/22.  The women’s and girls’ game has been the biggest benefactor of that inflation, which the FAW accredits to the national team’s ‘strong performances’.   The stats released by the organisation show that female registrations climbed from 13,000 to more than 21,000 over that four-year spread, an increase of over 60%, driven by initiatives including Huddle, UEFA Disney Playmakers and a wider effort to create more opportunities for girls to play.  The growth has not been limited to traditional club football either. Recreational participation has exploded from just 300 registered players four years ago to more than 7,000 this se...

  By Maxwell Kumoye        The fourth day of the 3rd CGC Volleyball Premier League (First Phase) in Abuja produced thrilling encounters, dominant performances, and dramatic comebacks as teams battled for crucial victories in both the men's and women's categories. In the women's division, Life Camp Volleyball Club maintained their impressive form with a hard-fought straight-set victory over Excelsior VC.  Despite the 3-0 scoreline, the contest was closely fought, with Life Camp edging the sets 25-23, 25-21, and 25-23. Anambra Queens and Benue Queens served up one of the most entertaining matches of the day. Anambra Queens survived a fierce challenge to claim a 3-2 victory after five gripping sets.  After taking the opening set 25-22, Anambra surrendered the next two sets 13-25 and 22-25 before mounting a strong comeback to win the fourth set 25-14 and seal the decisive fifth set 15-11. Defending champions Nigeria Customs Service Women underl...

...The first 18 months will be free of charge – BON Chairman, Chief Tony Akiotu  By Maxwell Kumoye      The Federal Government has officially launched Nigeria’s Digital Switch Over (DSO) Platform, describing it as a transformative initiative that will drive job creation, boost local content production, expand the creative industry, and stimulate economic growth across the country. Speaking at the launch ceremony held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the project represents a major investment in Nigeria’s future and a significant milestone in the nation’s broadcasting history. According to the minister, a fully implemented DSO ecosystem will create employment opportunities, encourage local manufacturing, strengthen content production, increase advertising revenues, and unlock new income streams for broadcasters an...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye      Nigeria's road to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, begins this weekend as the nation's finest athletes converge on the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex in Lagos for the highly anticipated Commonwealth Games Trials. The three-day competition, scheduled to run from June 20 to 22, will serve as the mandatory selection event for athletes hoping to secure places on Team Nigeria for the Commonwealth Games later this summer.  A total of 32 events will be contested, but attention will undoubtedly focus on 14 marquee events expected to produce world-class performances and fierce rivalries. For the first time in recent memory, the Trials arrive against the backdrop of an intense battle between Nigeria's home-based athletes and a growing crop of elite performers based in the United States collegiate system, setting the stage for one of the most competitive national championships in years. The men's and w...

...Asaba to host Federation Cup final  By Maxwell Kumoye      The race for this year's President Federation Cup women's title intensified on Wednesday as FC Robo Queens, Heartland Queens, Sunshine Queens and Nasarawa Amazons secured places in the semi-finals following thrilling quarter-final encounters across the country. FC Robo Queens produced one of the biggest results of the round, edging seven-time champions Rivers Angels 1-0 to book their place in the last four. The Lagos-based side displayed resilience and tactical discipline to overcome one of the competition's traditional powerhouses. Heartland Queens survived a stern test against Ibom Angels in a dramatic contest that ended 2-2 after regulation time. The Owerri-based club held their nerve in the ensuing penalty shootout, emerging 4-2 winners to advance to the semi-finals. Sunshine Queens also progressed after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Confluence Queens. The Akure side's narrow success was e...

By Maxwell Kumoye       South Africa kept their FIFA World Cup hopes alive after battling from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in a tense Group A encounter on Thursday. With both teams having lost their opening matches, defeat would have left either side on the brink of elimination. Instead, a late penalty from Teboho Mokoena ensured South Africa secured a crucial point and avoided an early exit from the tournament. The Czech Republic struck first in the sixth minute through Michal Sadilek, capitalising on a lapse in concentration from the South African defence.  A long throw-in caught Bafana Bafana off guard, allowing Adam Hlozek to break down the right flank before setting up Alexandr Sojka, whose clever pass found Sadilek. The midfielder made no mistake, firing a first-time effort beyond goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. South Africa gradually grew into the contest and created several opportunities but struggled to break down a...

  By Maxwell Kumoye    With less than 48 hours to the start of the Commonwealth Games Trials in Lagos, some of Nigeria's top athletes are already showing signs of readiness, and one of them is emerging quarter-miler Gafari Badmus. The talented Nigerian sprinter produced a sensational performance on Wednesday at the Meeting International Ciudad de Malaga in Spain, racing to victory in the men's 400m event with a new personal best time of 45.28 seconds. Badmus shattered his previous lifetime best of 45.53s, set in 2025, further underlining his rapid development and growing status as one of Nigeria's brightest prospects in the one-lap event. The Nigerian crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of Ericson Tavares, who placed second in 45.85s, while Sean Doggett finished third in 46.24s. The performance comes at the perfect time for Badmus, who is expected to be one of the athletes to watch at the Commonwealth Games Trials scheduled to begin this weekend at the Y...

...As Garba recalls historic 2013 Eaglets triumph By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye    Renowned sports psychologist Professor Olufemi Adegbesan will today review a new book authored by sports administrator Dr. Emmanuel Edem Ikpeme during its public presentation at the VIP Lounge of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. The event, scheduled to begin at noon, is expected to attract sports administrators, academics and stakeholders from across the country. Adegbesan, a respected figure in sports psychology and education, brings a wealth of experience to the role. The immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Ibadan is also an adjunct professor at the Pan African University and currently serves as the national president of the Sport Psychology Association of Nigeria.  His contributions to sports development include involvement in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 sports framework and the design of a postgraduate sports management ...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye    The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, has thrown the Commission's weight behind Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi and his grassroots football development programme, the Kwara Kiddies League. Dikko made the pledge when he received the Nottingham Forest forward on a courtesy visit to the Commission's headquarters in Abuja.  Awoniyi was accompanied by former Super Eagles striker Anthony Ujah. During the meeting, Awoniyi presented Dikko with an official Nottingham Forest jersey and outlined his vision for expanding opportunities for young football talents through the Kwara Kiddies League and other youth-centred sports development initiatives. The NSC Chairman praised the Super Eagles star for investing in grassroots sports and contributing to the development of future generations of Nigerian athletes. Dikko assured Awoniyi of the Commission's commitment to providing the necessary support and enabling...

By Maxwell Kumoye  The President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), Bright Idahosa, has praised the National Sports Commission (NSC) for what he described as a deliberate effort to create opportunities for sports that have consistently delivered international success for Nigeria. Speaking on the inclusion of scrabble in the maiden National Intermediate Games in Lagos, Idahosa said the decision represents a major boost for the sport and a significant investment in the next generation of Nigerian scrabble players. He noted that the competition provides a valuable avenue for discovering young talents and exposing them to organized competition at an early stage. "The National Intermediate Games have opened a new chapter for scrabble development in Nigeria. For a sport that continues to produce champions and represent the country with distinction, this kind of support is both encouraging and necessary," Idahosa said. "Every successful sporting nation builds...