I only lose my top spot when I’m injured
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Olusola ‘Jide: 08060160741
special focus on the men and women’s Premier Leagues as well as the Division 1 and 2 leagues for men.
“We wish Nigerians the best the New Year will offer as we restate our commitment to basketball development in the country. We are going to start 2020 strongly with the Total Division One League starting in Lagos on the 20th of January which is an indication of our focus for the year,” stressed the deputy managing director of oil and gas giants, Total Nigeria Limited.
“In the year under review, the D’Tigress continued their invincible run on the continent to win the 2019 Afrobasket Championship in Dakar, Senegal while the D’Tigers was the highest African team at the FIBA men’s World Cup in China which earned them an automatic place in the 2020 Olympic Games.
“We also participated in some underage competitions in 2019.
After many years absence, Nigeria returned to the FIBA Africa U-16 Championship in Cape Verde. The women senior team gave Team Nigeria something to cheer at the Beach Games in Cape Verde as the only sport to win any medal for Nigeria,” observed the NBBF chief.
On the local scene, Kida admitted that more teams were added to the Zenith Women League which made it stronger.
“For the past 15 years, we had only three winners, but this year, a new clubAir Warriors, emerged the new champion in their first year in the league.”
In football, the Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has insisted that focus will be on the various qualifying matches for major competitions as well as youth and grassroots development programmes.
“We are also determined to concentrate much effort and resources on youth development programmes, including but not limited to the NFF/Zenith Bank Future Eagles Programme.
“It is important that we continue to churn out quality talents and work hard to nurture them to excellent products who will then fit into the age-grade national teams and bring honour to the nation at various championships.
“As we have made known, teams representing Nigeria in international matches and competitions will be told in no uncertain terms that they are expected to win, not just participate. The era of simply being there to participate is long gone.”
The draw for the qualifying campaign of the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals will be conducted in Egypt in January 2020, with 10 groups of four teams each that will produce only the winner from each group advancing to a fierce, five homeand-away battles which will eventually produce Africa’s flagbearers in Qatar.
Reiterating the position of his president, Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa expressed his optimism for the New Year saying “This year is going to be a great one for us as a team and as individual. We still have to book our 2021 AFCON ticket.
“We have that in mind, and we will give our best to achieve our aim in other football engagements.”
The President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, Francis Orbih, is looking into the New Year with much expectation for a lift for the sport in Nigeria.
“For us in badminton, the focus will be on qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. We have series of qualifiers that our players will participate in, especially those on the verge of qualification.
“We are starting the year with the Estonia International as well as the Swedish International. After these two outings, our players will return home to resume camp with other players preparing for the African Senior Championships taking place February in Egypt.
“We are going to defend our African title there. Interestingly, the African Championship is also an Olympic qualifier. There after we will play in the Uganda and Kenya international opens before returning home to play in the West African circuit in Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana that is if they will all hold this New Year.
“We also have the Lagos Open before the Olympic qualifiers are rounded up in April. It is at the end of April that we will know those of our players that have made the cut for the Olympics. If by the grace of God they qualify, we will then be looking at them travelling around July for the Games,” he said.