Japanese cabinet minister Taro Kono has admitted a decision on the holding of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics "could go either way" as the coronavirus pandemic continues to leave doubts hanging over the Games.

Kono, Japan's administrative and regulatory reform minister, spoke at the Reuters Next conference amid concerns that the coronavirus pandemic could prevent the Games from going ahead.

He said the country is still continuing efforts to host the delayed Games, set to open on July 23, but admitted it was far from certain that the event would go ahead.

Earlier this month, a state of emergency was declared in Tokyo in a bid to curb a spike in coronavirus cases in the Japanese capital.
Tokyo today reported a total of 1,502 new cases, with the nationwide figure hitting 6,566.

Ghana’s top weight lifter Christian Amoah is excited to be rated at number 4 in the current Commonwealth Games list of category 96 kg athletes.

On top is Canadian Boadv Santavv (CAN), with Don Opeloge (SAM) at second and Vikas Thakur (IND) taking the third place.

Christian Amoah (GHA) who is at the fourth position says he is happy to be in the best 25 weight lifters in his division and the position will inspire him as he trains towards the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has advised National Olympic Committees (NOC) including the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) to hold their elections after the Tokyo Games.

In a letter dated April 23, 2020 to all Presidents and Secretary Generals signed by James Macleod, Director of NOC Relations and Olympic Solidarity, he said:

Following the rescheduling of the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020, which will now take place from 23 July to 8 August, 2021, we understand that, among the many implications of this postponement, the election cycle of your NOC may be affected, since most NOCs usually hold their regular elections during the year following the Games of the Olympiad.

The circular letter aims to provide guidance to the impacted NOCs (ie those NOCs whose quadrennial elections are (or /were) due to take place between August 2020 and August 2021 in order to best address the issue at their respective levels.

Thirteen Olympic sports, two non-Olympic sports and three individual votes have agreed to the resolution of The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) board to postpone the NOC’s elective congress until after the Olympic Games in August.

Two associations voted against the resolution to postpone the elections.

Four Olympic sports and six non-Olympic sports did not submit their votes.

Under the GNOC constitution Olympic sports have two votes while non-Olympic sports have one vote. Vie virtue of such the resolution to postpone the elections until after the Games holds.

Ghana born, Rida Haisam was the breakout star at the just ended IBJJF USA National Tournament bagging a gold medal in the super heavyweight division and coming in third place in the absolute division.

Blessing Oborududu displayed sheer dominance and supremacy to clinch gold at the Baraza Champion of Champions tournament in Yenagoa on Sunday, brushing aside her opponents in emphatic fashion on a day Aminat Adeniyi, Ekerekeme Agiomor and Soso Taramau also dazzled their way to the top prize at stake in their respective weight classes.
 
Commonwealth champion Oborududu showed why she is ranked No. 2 in the world in the 68kg class with a ruthless 11-0 technical superiority win against 2-time African champion Hannah Reuben in her first bout, before similarly overpowering Biogos Ebi 10-0.
 
The 10-time African champion needed just two minutes to subdue Rachel Eke of Ondo State 12-0 via superiority to land the coveted gold medal, and afterwards, could not hide her excitement following her return to competition for the first time in almost a year.
 
“I want to really appreciate God for giving me the strength to wrestle today,” an excited Oborududu said after her impressive win. “And for the fact that we have not been active for almost a year, you know, there is that joy and anxiety in you that makes you want to wrestle.
 
“My opponents said I was taking it too hard on them. That is how I feel, I just want to wrestle all out.
 
“I feel so great, I can’t wait to go to the Olympics.”

The Chief Executive Officer for Dons Boxing Promotion, Michael Nii Yarboi Annan, has called for the establishment of a television station that would solely telecast boxing bouts in the country.

Mr. Annan said this is the only way Ghana can develop the game and put the nation on the world map again through boxing.

The CEO made the call in an interview with Onua TV’s ‘Agro Fie’ while discussing boxing development in Ghana.

“It is possible we will need a TV backing. We will have to set up our own TV station that will telecast our bouts and we will do that to promote boxing in the country”, he explained.

Kenya is looking to send more boxers to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Games as the team intensifies its preparations ahead of the qualification round in Paris in June.

The boxing team, popularly known as the “Hit Squad”, is currently undergoing training in Nairobi with an aim of getting more slots compared to the three the country secured in the 2016 Rio Games.

In Rio, welterweight Rayton Okwiri, flyweight Peter Mungai Warui, and bantamweight Benson Gicharu were Kenya’s representatives and were eliminated in the qualification rounds.

ASM Magazine January 2021 edition comes packed with tickling stories that you would love to read and not miss. Available for free through the link: https://view.joomag.com/january-2021-asm-magazine-vol-ii-issue-i/0693003001610869878?short&​
 
This edition is dedicated to Senegalese wrestling’, the pathway to dreams of stardom and riches for the young. It covers other top stories and special reports from 2020.

World number two Odunayo Adekuoroye lived up to her high billing, ruthlessly claiming gold at the maiden Baraza Champion of Champions wrestling tournament in Yenagoa, even as favourites John Ogbonna and Welson Ebikewenimo triumphed on Day 1 of competition on Saturday.
 
Competing in her first bout in almost a year, reigning Commonwealth champion Adekuoroye showed no sign of rustiness, cleverly and masterfully brushing aside her three opponents in the 57kg class to land gold.
 
The 6-time African champion defeated Patience Kakaga and Esther Kolawole, who stepped up to 57kg, 10-0 via technical superiority, before finishing off Aboje Isioma of Delta State 2-0 via pinfall inside the first round.
 
Having being away from competition for almost a year, the Ondo-born wrestler hailed the president of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) Hon. Daniel Igali for coming up with the tournament.
 
“Kudos to our President for organizing this competition,” she said. “Because if you are just training, training and acquiring knowledge without being to competition, I think it is meaningless.
 
“The competition here has really added value to our wrestling and preparation for the African Championships and Olympic qualifiers as well.”
 

The maiden Champion of Champions invitational tournament which got underway in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Friday will now be known as “Baraza Champion of Champions Wrestling Tournament”.
 
This follows a substantive sponsorship agreement reached between the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) and the popular Yenagoa-based Baraza Multipurpose Co-operative Society.
 
As part of the terms of the agreement, Baraza have decided to, a large extent, bankroll the tournament, hence, the change of name.
 
Every other aspect of the 4-day tournament remains sacrosanct.
 

Former Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba has confirmed that he and his wife, Lalla, have divorced after 20 years of marriage.
​
The couple have been together for two decades, having officially tied the knot in a colourful ceremony in 2001.

However, there were rumours that they were having some misunderstandings in recent months, leading to their divorce.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrived in Yaounde on Friday morning ahead of start of the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN), Cameroon 2020.

Interim CAF President Constant Omari met Infantino on arrival at the Nsimalem International Airport ahead of Saturday’s start of the tournament for home-based players in Africa.

Hugues Fabrice Zango is used to breaking barriers. The 27-year-old triple jumper has been making history for Burkina Faso for several years, setting national and African records and racking up a collection of medals from major championships.

But Zango has now achieved another ‘first’ – and this one isn’t just a national milestone; it’s a global one.

At an elite jumps-only meeting in Aubiere on Saturday (16), Zango bounded out to a world indoor triple jump record of 18.07m*, becoming the first man to surpass 18 metres indoors.

His previous best, an outright African record of 17.77m, was set indoors in Paris last year and placed him equal fourth on the world indoor all-time list, just 15 centimetres short of the world indoor record set by his coach, Teddy Tamgho of France.

FIFA has today been informed by Auckland City FC that, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures required by the New Zealand authorities, the club will be unable to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup 2020.

Despite FIFA’s regular exchanges with the club, New Zealand Football and the OFC in recent days, the requirements of the New Zealand authorities in relation to isolation and quarantine go beyond FIFA’s remit and, therefore, it was not possible to reach a solution.
​

Seventy-three Women’s Premier League referees and assistant referees are currently training at the Ghanaman Centre of Excellence at Prampram ahead of the start of the Women’s Premier League.

The training, which began on Tuesday, January 12, will end on Thursday, January 14, 2021. The list includes forty-one (41) centre referees and thirty-two (32) assistant referees.

Fitrace is a reality competition that test your physical strength, endurance,  creativity and intelligence.  A lot of people contested for the first round but I managed to make it to the final 16 participants.  

There'll be a series of drills and challenges to test us further but we will not be graded 100% from that. Viewers will also have the opportunity to grade as well by voting. To keep me in the competition I'll need your votes.

Ghana’s Skeleton athlete, Akwasi Frimpong finishes ahead of competitors from Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark , Czech Republic, and Bulgaria in his first race of the 2020/2021 International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation season. Frimpong finished 24th out of 31 international athletes.

Akwasi Frimpong raced through pain and delivered for Ghana! It was the first time Ghana was represented in a Europa Cup skeleton competition. Frimpong suffered a bad crash three days before the race and could hardly walk. Following the recommendations of doctors, he took a day off from training.  

FIFA has opened two invitations to tender (ITT) simultaneously for the media rights to the FIFA World Cup 2022™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, FIFA’s flagship men’s and women’s competitions, in Italy.

The first ITT is for the media rights to the FIFA World Cup 2022™. The second ITT is for the media rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

The FIFA World Cup 2022™ will be the 22nd edition of the competition and a unique edition, as the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East and the first to take place in November/December. With ultra-modern venues, optimal playing conditions and a compact event footprint, the host country will be a very special setting in which to celebrate the game and its ability to connect and inspire people around the world. The tournament will feature 32 participating teams and 64 matches, offering a highly competitive group stage followed by an exciting knockout phase.

As it appeared the curtains were abruptly coming down the scandal-laden reign of Confederation of African Football (CAF) leader, Ahmad Ahmad, the presidency of the continental mother body has lurched into more controversy as the race to find his successor intensifies.

CAF is synonymous with tumult but the commotion stakes have been escalated as the elections to choose the new leader in place of the beleaguered Ahmad administration draw closer.

Ineligible for the elections set for March 12 during the CAF 43rd Elective Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morroco, Madagascan Ahmad is bowing out in disgrace.

Ahmad (aged 61) was the seventh president at the helm of CAF since its founding in 1957 in Sudan.

His presidency of the 56-member football mother body headquartered in Egypt ended last November after FIFA handed him a five-year ban for financial misconduct.

This brought to an abrupt end to a presidency that at its beginning in 2017 promised so much in terms of reforms after more than 29 years of authoritarian rule by the Cameroonian, Issa Hayatou.

Taken at face value, the “examination of candidatures” for the CAF presidency is aimed at having an incorruptible individual for the position yet in essence it is a strategy aimed at keeping the status quo by retaining members already in the CAF executive committee or other structures by virtue of heading their football associations.

The United States golf market has witnessed a steady growth before the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 24 million participants and $23.5bn in revenue in 2019. Although US golf revenues dipped amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the entire industry is expected to recover in 2021 and continue growing in the following years.

According to data presented by SafeBettingSites.com, the US golf courses and country clubs industry is forecast to generate $23.3bn in revenue this year.

In February 2021, AIBA, with the support of the International Testing Agency (ITA), will launch a large-scale anti-doping educational program in the framework of AIBA’s Continental Forums.

On January 11th, AIBA renewed its contract with the ITA for 2021 to ensure a state-of-art anti-doping program for boxing. AIBA President Mr. Umar Kremlev and ITA Director General Mr. Benjamin Cohen signed the agreement at the ITA headquarters. The partnership is designed for the long term, its goal is to make boxing a truly clean sport.

• FIFA launches FIFA Sound, a strategy to connect with audiences worldwide through shared passions of football and music
• First season of FIFA PlayOn Podcast to feature football players and global musicians such as Ivan Rakitić, Carli Lloyd, Asisat Oshoala, Lele Pons, Tiwa Savage, Wretch 32 and Morat, among others

FIFA has today announced the launch of FIFA Sound, a new entertainment strategy designed to create innovative and meaningful connections between football fans, music enthusiasts, players, artists, and the game and songs they all love.

“FIFA’s vision is to make football truly global, accessible and inclusive. The crossover between football and music underscores this wider cultural relevance. Both are universal languages and have the power to create unrivalled emotions. It’s a natural fit to bring them together,” said Jean-François Pathy, FIFA’s Director of Marketing. “It’s been fantastic to see the enthusiasm around the launch of this strategy, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead to connect people through inspiring human stories.”

Seven-time Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton has been voted the Athlete of the Month for December 2020.
 
The 36-year-old was pitted with other black athletes of African ancestry and nationality.
 
Hamilton beat Egypt and Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah; Ghana and Legon FC forward, Asamoah Gyan and Morocco's Youssef en-Nesryi, to the Award by public voting.
 
Readers of the African Sports Monthly online publication (website), magazine and followers on social media voted for Hamilton as their top choice.

The Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa is bubbling with excitement and anticipation ahead of the commencement of the maiden Champion of Champions wrestling tournament which begins on Friday, 15th January, 2021.
 
No fewer than 57 wrestlers across the country drawn from the Olympic weight classes, as well as their coaches and officials, are expected in Yenagoa to jostle for podium places at the ultra-modern Dynamite Theatre of Wrestling complex for three days of solid competition.
 
According to a statement signed by the Technical Director of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) Damian Ohaike, arrival of wrestlers, coaches and technical officials is slated for Friday, with a technical meeting/clinic also billed for same day by 6pm.