​SLFA president Madam Isha Johansen has welcomed the Secretary General of the West Africa Football Union to Sierra Leone.
Receiving the Secretary General of the West Africa football union Jammeh Bojang, the President of the Sierra Leone Football Association Madam Isha Johansen said the under-17 female tournament will be a global showcase for Sierra Leone in Africa and the world at large. She said Sierra Leone as a country is well prepared to show Africa that the country is now opened to the world in terms of football. 
Isha Johansen who is the head of female football in Africa and Executive committee member of the Confederation of Africa Football CAF, said her executive and the government of President Julius Madaa Bio are committed and working tirelessly to put up a great female football show for West African nations coming to Sierra Leone to witness  the tournament.

​Sport Industry Group has teamed up with Sutherland Wine, which will become the official wine partner to the Sport Industry Awards in association with Brand South Africa.
Sutherland Wine is cultivated in Elgin and also forms part of the Thelema family. They were also partners to the Sport Industry Awards in 2017.
The Sport Industry Awards in association with Brand South Africa is building up quickly with the event taking place on 17 August 2018 at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Thomas Webb, Commercial Manager of Sutherland, commented: “At Sutherland Wine we are very proud of both our rich heritage in South Africa and ability to produce quality wines for local and international consumption. Like our sport industry counterparts, we view excellence as being expected and also celebrated, so it’s a natural fit for us to sponsor this celebration of the sports industry’s excellence. We will have two varietals on offer for the sport industry with Sutherland Sauvignon Blanc and Sutherland Cabernet Sauvignon available at the Awards. Both will offer attendees a superb drinking experience.”

​With only three days to go to the most coveted awards night in the South African sport industry, the Sport Industry Awards in association with Brand South Africa, is due to be hosted by Lunga Shabalala on 18 May at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Celebrating those moments of excellence and #BreakingtheMould, the Awards will see individuals, brands, rightsholders and agencies vying for top honours.
Leadership in Sport Business presented by Deloitte is a major highlight of the night as it celebrates the overall contribution of our leaders in the success and the critical contributions that the sport industry needs in their chosen sectors. The nominees in this category are Richard Glover of Tennis South Africa, Kevin Vermaak of ABSA Cape Epic, Blanche De La Guerre of Netball South Africa and Amadou Gall Fall of NBA Africa.
Sport Industry Personality of the Year presented by AB InBev sees some exciting individuals whom have made the seemingly impossible possible are nominated for the award. Those nominated are Luxulo September, PSL’s Senior Manager, and Kelvin Watt, Nielsen Sports’ Managing Director, who feature alongside Bruce Fordyce, the CEO of Parkrun SA, and EFC Founder and President, Cairo Howarth.

Chituyi, the two try hero in the 45-36 win over Zimbabwe on 30 June missed last weekend’s 67-0 win over Tunisia
NAIROBI, Kenya, August 14, 2018/ -- Dalmus Chituyi, Felix Ayange and Curtis Lilako return for the Simbas final Rugby Africa Gold Cup clash away to Namibia on Saturday 18 August. Chituyi, the two try hero in the 45-36 win over Zimbabwe on 30 June missed last weekend’s 67-0 win over Tunisia through injury alongside former Kenya Sevens international Ayange who was recovering from the effects of a route canal while Lilako returns for the first time since the 45-36 home win over Zimbabwe on 30 June.

Commenting on their inclusion, Head Coach Ian Snook said, “Dallo is in as we have a 6/2 bench this game. It has been crucial in a couple of other games with fresh forwards coming on late in the game and making a telling difference. We hope this will be the same. Felix is on the bench as he can cover many positions and is competent in them all. He is a tough competitor and we know he will be up for the physical battle. Biko who usually fills this role is carrying an injury. Curtis is back in so we can utilize his experience and cool head late in the game.”

​NEW YORK, United States of America/MIES, Switzerland/BELGRADE, Serbia (Basketball Without Borders) - The NBA, FIBA and the Basketball Federation of Serbia (KSS) on Tuesday announced the top 40 boys and 23 girls ages 17 and under from 25 countries who will participate in the 17th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Europe taking place from August 15-18 at Belgrade's Zarkovo Sports Hall & Kosarkaski Centar.

The committee also noted with concern the absence of healthcare services in the Randjesfontein estate
 
PRETORIA, South Africa, August 14, 2018/ -- The Portfolio Committee on Labour today visited the North Rand Training Centre in the Randjesfontein Race Course in Midrand, Gauteng, to conduct oversight on the working and living conditions of workers in the horse racing industry.

During the visit, the committee interacted with management of Phumelela Gaming, one independent horse trainer, as well as horse grooms.

During an interaction with the horse grooms in their hostels, the committee heard about reports of long working hours, failure to comply with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) legislation, allegedly by horse trainers sub-contracted to Phumelela.

​Banking group HSBC has renewed its partnership with World Rugby, through which it will retain title sponsorship rights to the World Rugby Sevens Series.
The new four-year deal also names HSBC as the official banking partner of World Rugby. The agreement covers the 2019 to 2023 editions of the men’s and women’s World Rugby Sevens Series.
HSBC has been a partner of World Rugby since 2010 and it will continue to work with the body to grow rugby sevens and provide unique experiences to customers and non-customers. HSBC also recently commissioned ‘The Pioneers’, an access-all-areas documentary that follows USA’s rugby sevens team.
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is one of global sport’s most exciting properties. Since Olympic inclusion (at Rio 2016), we have seen the series become increasingly competitive with global audiences and fan engagement growing exponentially.

​Stillwater Sports, the organisers of the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN have announced that the 2018 event (taking place on Sunday, 14 October 2018) will boast a whopping Prize Purse of R250 000.
“We are proud to increase the Prize Purse of the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN from R212 000 (in 2017) to R250 000 in 2018,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director Stillwater Sports.  “That’s a whopping R38 000 increase since the event’s inception in 2017.  This increase would not have been possible without the valued support from event sponsors as well as that of the entrants.  A mass participation 10km road run, the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN highlights the true beauty of Durban while granting entrants the unique opportunity to explore their city and run Durban their way.”

Ghanaian international, Emmanuel Lomotey has completed his move to Villarreal CF ahead of the new Spanish La Liga season.
The former Dreams FC midfielder joins the La Liga side on a season-long loan from lower-tier side Cordoba.
The 20-year-old was in the books of Extramadura, helping the side to the second-tier league after beating Cartegena in the Segunda B Division playoff final
The 23-year-old's impressive performance earned himself a deal with Cordoba last season.

NEW YORK (Tuesday, August 14, 2018) – D.C. United midfielder Luciano Acosta was voted the Alcatel Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for the 24th week of the 2018 MLS season.
 
D.C. United defeated Orlando City SC 3-2 in dramatic fashion at Audi Field on Sunday, using Acosta’s first ever MLS hat trick to extend its three-game unbeaten streak. Acosta has four goals and nine assists in 18 games started this season. D.C. has 21 points in 2018 (5-9-6 overall record) but has compiled a 4-2-2 mark in matches where Acosta has recorded a goal or assist this season.
 
Acosta put D.C. on the board in first-half stoppage time, linking with Wayne Rooney on a beautiful give-and-go play in the box and dribbling past numerous defenders for a near-post finish that gave the club a 1-0 advantage (Watch Goal). Following an Orlando equalizer, Acosta once again put D.C. ahead when he finished a Yamil Asad pass over the top of the defense with a right-footed touch in front of goal for a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute (Watch Goal).

Mandela’s Centenary year sees the launch of a pioneering new coaching programme to build on his legacy in Africa
PARIS, France, August 14, 2018/ -- Arsenal Football Club (www.Arsenal.com) and digital money transfer experts, WorldRemit (www.WorldRemit.com) are offering local coaches the chance to attend an exclusive new training camp with Arsenal’s top youth coaches in London – and 25 shortlisted coaches will be rewarded with Arsenal kit for their entire youth squad.

WorldRemit will arrange for the successful applicant to fly to London, where they will attend an exclusive training camp with Arsenal Soccer Schools coaches. During the camp they will work together with the Soccer Schools coaches on plans to use this training to build a lasting legacy in their home country. The camp will be free to apply for and open to youth team (under 16s) coaches from across Africa.

How to apply

Partnership means increased exposure for African rugby as teams compete to join the world’s elite at the 2019 Rugby World Cup
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, August 14, 2018/ -- APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading media relations consultancy for Africa and the Middle East, today announced a strategic alliance with Kwesé TV’s sports content platform Kwesé Sports (www.Kwese.ESPN.com), arguably Africa’s most trusted source for sports programming, aimed at developing the reputation and image of African rugby on a global scale.

As part of the new deal Kwesé Sports, the exclusive rights-holder for both TV and all digital platforms of Rugby Africa’s games in sub-Saharan Africa, will enjoy unlimited use of APO Group’s Africa Wire® press release distribution service (www.APO-opa.com/Press_Release_Distribution.php) and media relations expertise to further boost rugby media coverage in Africa and beyond.

​Angelique Kerber captured her second title of the season at Wimbledon, where she scored three Top 20 wins en route to her career third Grand Slam trophy. The German returned to the Top 5 after Wimbledon, earning the WTA Player of the Month for July.
 
In the semifinals at the JiangXi Open in Nanchang, Poland's Madga Linette used all of the shots in the book to hit the WTA Shot of the Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments, bringing her opponent Wang Qiang to the net with a drop shot and ending the point with a perfect lob.

Patrick Allotey, Ghana’s World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Africa super welterweight champion has asked Ghanaians to watch out for him to grab a world title next year.
Speaking to the media after making his first defence against tough Ugandan Badru Lusambya, he said “I want to promise Ghanaians that by the end of this year or early next year, I will be a world champion”.
While acknowledging the potential of his opponent, the 27 year old Ghanaian, who won by a unanimous decision on the Cabic Big Fight Night, was not amused by the call by his opponent for a rematch because he believes Lusambya is no match for him in any day.

​Tokyo 2020 recently announced the key creative directors for the opening and closing ceremonies of both the olympic and paralympic games, as well as the basic plan that will serve as the blueprint for how the four ceremonies will be laid out.
Mansai Nomura, who is a well known kyogen actor, will serve as the Chief Executive Creative Director for all four Ceremonies. In this capacity, Nomura will be in charge of creating and ensuring the overall theme is integrated into the Ceremonies.
In addition to his stage comedy and film acting, Nomura is an acclaimed director and producer both in Japan and overseas. His knowledge of both classical and modern Japanese arts was a key factor in the selection committee’s decision to cast him in this role.

​ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that Simona Halep has secured the first qualification in singles for the 2018 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global set to take place from October 21-28, 2018 with $7 million in prize money to be played for.
 
The WTA World No.1 will make her fifth consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals, and is the only player to have qualified for all five editions held in Singapore. On her debut in 2014, Halep reached the final, defeating then-World No.1 Serena Williams in the group stage before falling to the American in the championship match.
 
“It is such an honor to qualify again for the WTA Finals in Singapore,” said Halep. “I love coming to Singapore and I have so many great memories. I can’t wait to be back and play my best tennis in front of the amazing fans.”

​… Calls For Female Coach To Handle Team
Women In Sports Association (WISA) has commended the Black Princesses for winning one match out of three at the FIFA Under 20 Women’s Championship in France.
Madam Gloria Commodore, Executive Director of WISA told Yours Truly in an exclusive interview that she and her group are very proud of the girls for their achievement at the on going Championship.
According to Mama G as she is affectionately called in media circles, “the girls were never disgraced because they did not get the much needed adequate preparations, they did not play any international trial match, they were neither motivated nor inspired by anyone except themselves”.

​DIAMNIADIO - Senegal sports personalities, members of the public and political figures last week flocked to Diamniadio for the inauguration of a modern 15,000-seat Dakar Arena.
Built by Turkish investors in partnership with the Senegalese authorities, the Dakar Arena comes to fill a void left by the lack of modern sports facilities in the country.
Located in Diamniadio - 30 kilometers from the capital city of Dakar - the new arena will accommodate - among other sports - basketball, volleyball, martial arts and handball. 

​MAPUTO (FIBA U18 Women's African Championship 2018) - Reigning Champions Mali and Angola extended their winning streaks to 2-0 as they took over Uganda and DR Congo 132-39 and 56-27 respectively.
Playing their second game of the tournament, the West-Africans have shown that they are in Maputo to retain their continental title and punch a ticket for next year's FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
Mali is the first team to score more than 100points in a single game at the ongoing U18 Women's Championship.
Alima Dembele came up with a game-high 23points while five other Mali players including  Assetou Sissoko, Ramatoulaye Keita, Fatoumata Traore, Aminata Sangare and Aminata Traore combined for 87points.

Last year’s NEA Awards to many was seen as one of the most successful annual events to be ever held in Sierra Leone, as it attracted over thousands of Sierra Leoneans from all walks-of-life, who attended the event at the prestigious Bintumani International Auditorium, at Aberdeen in Freetown.

For the first time this year LAKE annual NEA awards will have two new categories for sports journalists in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer for LAKE Production Alhaji K.  Tarawally, popularly known as  Laj-K confirmed to this media that they have added two spaces for sports journalists which are for Best Print Media Sports Journalist and Best Electronics Media Sports Journalist of the Yea

In a bid to improve and establish Roll ball in West Africa the roll ball council of West Africa has held its first elective congress in Dakar, Senegal.

Sierra Leone Roll ball president was elected as the  second most powerful man in West Africa roll ball council.

Expressing his delight and happiness, the newly elected vice president of the West Africa region roll ball council Noel William said  he was elected as the second most powerful man in West Africa roll ball council because of his contribution  to the of development of roll ball in Sierra Leone

​It could be recalled that the head coach of Leones Stars John Keister  granted  an interview to the  BBC sports stringer Mohamed Fajah Barrie in which he told him that,  "lack of major football league in the country has affected his selection of players for the Leone Star national team."
This statement according to the SLFA boss madam Isha Johansen was viewed as disrespectful and full of fallacies and a ploy   to present her executive in a bad manner to the international scene.
The Madam has now instructed the Leone Stars head coach to tender an apology for such a statement against her and her executive. 

​Fifty Sierra Leonean referees have completed a two-day training using micro gate, which is the standard technical equipment required for referees  trainings.  
The training was organized by the Western Area Referee Association (WARA) at the national stadium in Freetown, with the aim to teach the referees and abreast them with new laws and goal line technology recently introduced to help reduce mistakes inadvertently or otherwise caused by referees across the world. 
The local instructor of WARA, Anabi Yusuf Kamara said the training was organized to aufait the referees with modern technology for best practice, adding that the training is also in line with the world football governing body (FIFA) transformational Statues.

​MAPUTO (FIBA U18 Women’s African Championship 2018)  - Mozambique survived a Rwanda scare to secure their second straight win at the ongoing FIBA U18 Women's African Championship while Egypt knocked off Cape Verde to clinch their first win.
Mozambique made one unexpected comeback after trailing for most of the game to punch a 53-46 victory. As a result, they now sit on top of Group A.
Everything was set for a grand game and when Mozambique took a 13-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, they thought it was all done.
However, Rwanda's Bella Murekatete  and her teammates were not ready to give up easily as they took a 19-17 advantage at half-time.

​The International Federation of PGA Tours has announced that Japanese non-for-profit organisation International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS Handa) will be the title sponsor of the 2018 Melbourne World Cup of Golf.
The competition, which is in its 59th year, will see two-man teams from the 28 top-ranked golfing nations compete between 21st and 25th November at the Metropolitan Golf Club.
ISPS Handa also sponsored the last two World Cup events, in 2013 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club and at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in 2016.
Dr Haruhisa Handa, the Japanese businessman who also serves as the company’s chairman, said: “ISPS is very pleased to once again sponsor this important international team event.
“The World Cup of Golf has such a rich history and ISPS has been supporting golf on a global basis for a number of years. At ISPS, we strongly believe in the ‘power of sport’ and its ability to break down barriers, create hope and inspire people around the world.