Women’s Rugby action in Uganda resumed with a lot of vigor and excitement after a year of no play. The teams were subjected to COVID19 testing before the tournament officially kicked off. A total of 11 teams participated (7 in central and 4 in Eastern region) in the rugby 10s tournaments over the weekend. The regional 10s will continue in Central, Eastern, and Northern Uganda on a tier points system. 

Tier 1 teams comprise of experienced and seasoned players while Tier 2 is made up of new and upcoming players with limited experience and exposure.

Bugema RFC, Bumageni RFC, Mbale Eagles RFC and Nyondo RFC formed the Eastern block of participating teams while Avengers, Black Pearls and Thunderbirds (Tier 1); Black Diamonds, Blue Whales RFC, Ewes RFC and Lady Swans RFC (Tier 2) formed the central block of the regional women's tournaments respectively.

The national team management teams were in attendance to identify players for U20 and the senior national team so as to create a sustainable pathway for the women's game in Uganda. Due to the ongoing pandemic, no fans were allowed but there was a provision for people to watch the games at the comfort of their homes through a livestream.

Squad of 22 match officials from 12 countries selected for the Olympic Games in Tokyo; Inclusion of five international players who have swapped the playing shirt for the whistle, including New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup winner Selica Winiata; Eight female referees including two making their second appearances at the Olympic Games; Rugby sevens competition takes place from 26-31 July, 2021 at Tokyo Stadium; Saturday, 17 April marks 100 days to go to rugby sevens kick off, as team preparations continue to be supported by US$4 million World Rugby (www.WorldRugby.org) investment.

The squad of 22 match officials that will take charge of the women’s and men’s rugby sevens competitions at the delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 has today been announced by World Rugby to mark the 100 days to go milestone until the action kicks off in Tokyo Stadium on 26 July, 2021.

The match officials' squad contains representatives from 12 countries spread across four continents and includes eight female referees. The group includes a blend of highly experience referees and exciting young talent making their debuts on the Olympic stage.

Both Sara Cox and Amy Perrett were involved in the Olympic Games Rio 2016, with Perrett having refereed the first ever Olympic rugby sevens match and also the women’s bronze medal match. In a clear demonstration of progress, six of the selected match officials gained invaluable experience at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 in Buenos Aires, including Portugal’s Paulo Duarte who took charge of the men’s final.

The individuals were selected by the World Rugby’s Match Official Selection Committee following a comprehensive review of performances and fitness. All selected referees have proven themselves on the annual HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and many also featured at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The group also includes five internationals who have swapped the playing shirt for the whistle. Selica Winiata is a current Black Ferns player who has been capped 40 times and is aiming to compete at the Rugby World Cup on home soil next year. She was a Rugby World Cup winner in 2017, scoring two tries in the final at her second Rugby World Cup. She is also a former Black Ferns Sevens player, becoming Rugby World Cup Sevens champion in 2013, and runner-up in 2009. She has since refereed at four events on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and impressed when refereeing at the Oceania Rugby Women's Sevens Championship in November 2019.
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The Senegal 15-a-side women’s national team has resumed training, which has created a lot of excitement and enthusiasm among the players.

Rugby Africa spoke to the team captain, Mariama Diallo, to find out what this means to her and her team-mates as they gear up to play matches in the coming months.

1. How excited are you that the national team is back at training after such a long time away from the game due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

It is a real pleasure for me to resume training for the national team. It is a great pleasure to be back with my team-mates on the field, especially since it is in preparation for the national women’s fifteen-a-side team that is a first in Senegal. We want to be ready to participate in the Rugby Africa Internationals, so we are excited to have this opportunity to improve our conditioning and rugby skills.
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Already in 2021, online module completions by the worldwide community of players, coaches, match officials, medics and members of the public has topped 200,000, driven by a strong increase in concussion and medical course completions, reflecting World Rugby’s (www.WorldRugby.org) mission to educate everyone in the game.

The total number of completions of the international federation’s online modules now stands at 1.6 million. When combined with the total face-to-face courses, over 1.8 million completions have been achieved, while millions more have engaged with national union delivered education, expanding the global network of people who have been upskilled in basic first aid, rugby-specific care and concussion identification and management.

1,651291 online modules have been completed, including 123,555 completions of dedicated COVID-19 return-to-play education as community rugby prepares to return around the world.

With rugby united in its commitment to best-practice concussion education, prevention and management, completions of all concussion modules to date have reached 143,091. Further to this, there have been 52,825 completions of First Aid and Immediate Care in Rugby online modules and more than 50,000 downloads of World Rugby’s concussion education app.

Rugby Union returned to the National Sports Festival (NSF) 2020 after a ten-year absence having missed out the last three editions held in Lagos, Rivers and Abuja.

The NSF is a biennial multi-sport event organized by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Sports Commission for athletes from the 36 States of Nigeria.

Rugby last featured as a medal winning event in Kaduna 2009 having debuted at the 2006 Gateway games in Ogun State. Prior to that, Rugby went through a mandatory demonstration in three consequent events.

Ghana's current 100m National Record holder, Benjamin Azamati, has been voted the African Sports Monthly Athlete of the Month for March.
 
He was nominated alongside three other athletes for the award.
 
The only female nominee, Asisat Oshoala, the Nigerian international footballer, was nominated for her performance at Barcelona where she scored the team's 100th Champions League goal against Manchester City on March 24 to send them to the semis.
 

The Presidential announcement on Friday 26 March suspending sporting activities in the country has dealt a big blow to rugby and by extension the greater sports fraternity.

While this directive was part of a series of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 which continues to cause havoc locally and internationally, it has left us in an awkward situation.

The suspension came at a time when Kenyan rugby was picking up after a year of inactivity occasioned by the initial lockdown and ensuing factors critical to getting the Government green light to return to play. This period of inactivity came at a cost. We lost revenues due to event cancellations, most notably the Rugby Africa Barthes U20 Trophy, the National Sevens Circuit and the Safari Sevens.

While the Government was gracious enough to offer a stimulus package for our national team players, there were those players outside the national team’s realm who were disenfranchised by the disruption of sporting activities countrywide.

Globally, sport has reached a stage of development that no other human activity can boast of. Its impact on societies and unifying power gives it the responsibility of putting itself at the service of peace.

To start off, what does international day of sports for development and peace mean to you?
At the request of the Moroccan NOC, this day was created in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly. It reflects the importance of sports, which is present in every household with its economic, political, social and above all educational functions.

What is Rugby Ready training? Please feel free to use any images and statistics as well.
The Rugby Ready program is a support and educational training tool, with its objective being to promote enjoyable and fun playing rugby while minimizing the risk of injury.

Player health is the priority at all levels of the game.

Rugby Ready is also a perfect complement to the programs set up by some World Rugby member unions, with Rugby Africa having very satisfactory numbers of participants - second World Rugby region.

The Elegushi Beach in Nigeria's commercial city, Lagos was on Saturday set agog when Member of world football governing body, FIFA’s Council, Executive Committee Member of CAF and President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick officially kicked off the new Nigeria Beach Soccer League.

The League, which is the baby project of the Amaju Pinnick-led Board is also supported by Beach Soccer Worldwide, and Africa Beach Soccer Union.
 
Speaking on the sidelines after the inauguration, Mr Pinnick, who was in company with NFF 1st Vice President, Barr Seyi Akinwunmi, Nigeria Beach Soccer League Coordinator, Mahmoud Hadejia and other officials, said he was excited to be part of the historical moment, and that he was at the event despite his busy schedule, to reiterate the NFF's endorsement, whilst also pledging his total support for the newly formed Nigeria Beach Soccer Association.
 

Commonwealth wrestling champions Blessing Oborududu (68kg) and Aminat Adeniyi (62kg), as well as youngster Adijat Idris (50kg), all secured qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after impressive displays at the ongoing Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Hammamet, Tunisia.

Ten-time African champion Oborududu made light work of Enas Ahmed of Egypt and Senegal’s Anta Sambou, winning 13-2 and 10-0 via technical superiority respectively, before sealing a place at her third Olympics with a 4-0 pinfall victory against Tunisian Khadija Jlassi.

On her way to booking a place in Tokyo, Adeniyi, a 4-time African champion, recorded a 7-0 win against Amel Hammiche of Algeria, demolished Zineb Hassoune of Morocco 10-0 via technical superiority and overpowered Cameroon’s Berthe Ngolle 3-0.

Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) has strengthened their ongoing support for gender equality by paving the way in women’s sport with the launch of the Women’s Rugby Advisory Committee (WRAC) and sub-committees.
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As part of Rugby Africa’s broader strategy, the role of WRAC and its sub committees is to define key performance indicators that demonstrate progress of the development of women in rugby across Africa to promote gender inclusion practices that foster growth and development within the sport.

The committee will provide a platform for females in all spheres of in rugby to be recognised for the crucial value their contribution and participation provides towards shaping the future of the global game.

The four sub-committees will focus on key areas of advancing governance and leadership, competitions, player welfare, development, and retention to meet strategic goals for women’s rugby across Africa by implementing the following objectives with the following chairpersons in charge:

• Chairperson: Zeena Isaacs-Van Tonder who is the Media Manager at South African Rugby Union - Communication, Marketing and Public Relations: to drive the overall communications plan for Rugby Africa to communicate effectively to stakeholders and raise the profile of women’s rugby.
• Chairperson: Regina Hellen Lunyolo who is the Director of Women’s Rugby at Uganda Rugby Union - Leadership, Training & Conferences:  to review and track member unions’ Women in Leadership and develop strategies that support their identity, engagement and empowerment through conferences, awards, panel discussions and interviews.
• Chairperson: Anna Preira who is a board member of the Fédération Sénégalaise de Rugby medical committee - on the Player Welfare & Participation: to serve as RA Women’s Rugby grassroots ambassadors fostering participation and support towards local RA activities and initiatives, while leveraging their social media engagement to publicize women’s rugby gains and achievements.
• Chairperson: Aaron Jani who is the President at Zimbabwe Rugby Union - Finance, Development & Competitions: to review available funding from World Rugby, Rugby Africa, and Unions to assess the impact and propose enhanced funding strategies where applicable.

Raising the flag of rugby high in Namibia and across the African continent, Rugby Africa’s Unstoppable Christel Janet (CJ) Kotze is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Handpicked as one of 12 leading women in rugby on the African continent as part of Rugby Africa’s #Unstoppables, the Absolute Rugby producer and coach is certainly a beacon of inspiration to women in the game.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kotze was born with the game in her blood, having watched former Namibia international wing and her dad Jaco Kotze during his training sessions. Joining the sport back in 2013, she formed part of a historic moment for Namibian ladies in 2014, when she made the cut for the country’s first ever national women’s rugby team. With lots of learnings coming off the team’s first play in the 2014 Africa Women’s Sevens in Kenya, Kotze grabbed 2015 with gust as she led her team and tasted a win in the Africa Women’s Sevens tournament held in South Africa.

‘The 2015 tournament in South Africa had a different energy around it. The squad felt stronger, the belief in the team was bigger. Something was telling us that this tournament was going to be better than the previous year. It was in game two of day one where everything just came together. I was in the right place at the right time. I got the ball on the right wing and just did what was expected of me. I found the gap and I ran as if my life depended on it, scoring the try under the post. Just moments later I managed to convert the try. It was only after the game that I realised what had happened and how big it was!’

Three –time champions Nigeria soared high in concluding their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series with a commanding 3-0 defeat of the Crocodiles of Lesotho at an upgraded and effervescent Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
 
Technical Adviser Gernot Rohr rested first choice goalie Maduka Okoye and started Tyronne Ebuehi at right back instead of Olaoluwa Aina, Oghenekaro Etebo started in place of Joseph Ayodele-Aribo and Alex Iwobi picked shirt ahead of Henry Onyekuru after the Everton defender tested negative to COVID-19, days after he was said to have been positive in Benin Republic.
 
Yet, the flow of the squad was not in any way affected as they started in top gear, with Turkey –based Etebo drilling narrowly wide of the far post in the 8th minute following a good pass from the nimble –footed Samuel Chukwueze. Five minutes later, Osimhen had the ball in the net after a typical sweet exchange with Kelechi Iheanacho, but it was ruled off-side.

Sensational  Shakur Samed, the latest member of the Black Bombers to qualify to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has hinted Yours Truly in an exclusive interview that he has two plans for the Games.

According to the 2019 Ghana’s Amateur Boxer of the Year by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) after a sterling performance that placed Ghana in the forefront of Boxing in the year under review, he is determined to enter the medal zone and then do for the big one.

His qualification was based on the Boxing Task Force (BTF) rankings released in February which ranked him 10th in the world and 3rd in Africa.

Peter Adjei, Secretary General of Ghana National Paralympic Committee (NPC) has disclosed in an interview with the media that he is impressed with the performances recorded by the disabled athletes from Ghana in their recent international outing in Manchester, UK (World Cup).

He said however there are other qualifiers in Georgia, Thailand and Dubai where they can take advantage to better their points.

Bayelsa State Governor Senator Douye Diri has charged Nigerian wrestlers to put in their best efforts at the forthcoming Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Hammamet, Tunisia, and ensure that they pick tickets to the Tokyo 2020 Games in Japan.

Gov. Diri gave the charge to the team in Yenagoa, where they have been camped for nearly one month in preparation for the qualifiers, which runs from 2nd to 4th April.

Following an injury to Blessing Onyebuchi (76kg), who fractured her femur in training a few days to the competition, 9 wrestlers, instead of 10, will now represent Nigeria at the 3-day event.
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​In a brief ceremony held in Yenagoa before the team departed Nigeria for Tunisia, the Bayelsa State Governor expressed confidence on the ability of the wrestlers to pick the desired Olympic tickets in the North African nation.

Emile Heskey, Former England Footballer, has teamed up with entrepreneur and businessman Davison Simango to launch Alkebulan Group.

Alkebulan Group is dedicated to the development of humanitarian projects and transforming Africa by sourcing and brokering investment opportunities in a portfolio that includes Energy, Healthcare, Mining, Infrastructure, Oil and Gas, ICT, Agriculture and Banking Solutions.

The Nation’s Leading Hard Cider Maker Will Help Amplify Region’s Premier Men’s National Team International Soccer Tournament 
NEW YORK, NY – (March 30, 2021) – Angry Orchard, the nation’s leading hard cider maker 1, and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) announced today a year-long partnership, naming Angry Orchard the official hard cider of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is the region’s flagship men’s national team competition in which the best national teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean compete to be crowned regional champion. The tournament engages millions of fans across the region and will provide a great platform for Angry Orchard to join the fervor and fandom. 

Angry Orchard will celebrate the road to this summer’s Gold Cup through media integrations, customized in-store and on-premise programming, experiential activations at games and a sweepstakes offering drinkers a chance to win a trip to the Gold Cup Final.

To bring sweet soccer excitement to stores through the summer, Angry Orchard is also rolling out a golden, limited-edition Gold Cup Variety Pack – the Kickin’ It Mix. Featuring fan favorites Crisp Apple and Unfiltered as well as new Peach Mango and Strawberry Hard Fruit Ciders, this pack is a perfect combination for watch parties or post-rec league games.

Bulgaria’s new sensation, a former Cuban boxer, Javier Ibanez has been appointed as Ambassador of the upcoming AIBA Youth Men's and Women's World Boxing Championships, which will take place in Kielce, Poland on April 10-24. The AIBA Youth World Champion himself, Ibanez is one of the best of the men’s featherweight (57kg) among the elite boxers now and his successful career will be a wonderful example for the young athletes in Poland.
‘I am honored to be chosen as an Ambassador for those World Championships. The emotion is great. I believe that after I won the title for youth, I will be able to win a world title for men's elite as well, but this time it will be for Bulgaria. I am proud to be part of the Bulgarian national team - recently I defeated the world champion from Uzbekistan at Strandja 2021 Tournament and I hope that I will get a chance to participate in the Olympic Games to represent Bulgaria’, Ibanez said.

MIES (Switzerland) - Steve Nash (Canada), Svetislav Pesic (Serbia) and Alexander Volkov (Ukraine) are three giant figures headlining the Class of 2020 for the FIBA Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2020, which wasn't announced until now due to the coronavirus pandemic, has 12 basketball icons in all. They will be enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame during a digital ceremony on June 18, together with the Class of 2021.

Nash, one of his country's most celebrated players, was a point guard at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 1994 in Toronto and captain of his national team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Also the MVP of the FIBA AmeriCup 1999 in Puerto Rico after leading Canada to a runners-up finish, Nash's professional career spanned almost two decades in the NBA, where he was MVP in both 2005 and 2006.

Pesic, one of the finest coaches ever, entered the profession in 1982 and enjoyed huge successes with various clubs in Europe. As a national team coach, Pesic steered hosts Germany to the FIBA EuroBasket crown in 1993 and then led Yugoslavia to glory at both FIBA EuroBasket 2001 and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002.

World Rugby has announced today at its Player Welfare and Laws Symposium that it is to evaluate the latest eye-tracking technology to assist with the identification and management of concussions in the sport.

Reflecting the sport’s unwavering commitment to embracing and evaluating the latest science and technology in a rugby context, the international federation is set to partner with two leading providers of eye-tracking technology – EyeGuide and NeuroFlex®  – to run in-match pilot studies.

​It is envisaged that the technology would be used within a ‘shadow study’ alongside the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) to determine whether the technology could further enhance an HIA process that is operating at approximately 90 per cent accuracy in elite competitions. It will also be used within the six-stage graduated return-to-play process to monitor players returning from injury.

Eye-tracking technology as a means of supporting brain health has demonstrated positive potential in various clinical settings with the latest aggregate data suggesting that oculomotor functions are altered at the time of, or shortly after, concussion*. 

World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Dr Éanna Falvey said: “As a key element of our progressive approach to injury reduction and management in rugby, rugby continually explores and assesses technology developments that could enhance the care of players in our sport at all levels. ​

Partners of the Nigeria Football Federation, Nigeria Breweries PLC, is laying on line the sum of N1 million (One Million Naira Only) for the Man-of-the-Match in Tuesday’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between the Super Eagles and the Crocodiles of Lesotho.
 
The offer is being made through the 33 Export brand of the company and will see the best player of the day smile to the bank as a millionaire.
 
Thenff.com can also report that another of the NFF’s partners, GAC Motors will also come to the stadium with a cheque of N1 million (One Million Naira Only) for the Most Valuable Player of the day.
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Wedjane took time out to give Rugby Africa insight into her journey as a citing commissioner and share some of the experiences that have stood out for her in the last few years.
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​What does your appointment as a citing commissioner liaison officer (CCLO) for the Six Nations match between France and Scotland (on 26 March) mean to you, especially since you were the only female appointed representing the French panel?
 am extremely proud and honoured to be the first African and Tunisian women to be appointed as a CCLO, and I am thankful to the French Professional championship and LNR for offering me this opportunity and for their trust in me.

​How long have you been a citing commissioner and what appealed to you about the role?
I have been a Citing Commissioner since December 2018 (the citing commissioner can be appointed as a Citing Commissioner or as a Citing Commissioner Liaison Officer), and what appealed to me the most initially was the importance of this role. It is not only vital to ensure the safety of the players, it also guarantees fairness in a match.
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MLS NEXT has announced a series of initiatives aimed at combating racism, hate and discrimination while advocating for social justice in the sport of soccer. With a mission of ensuring an inclusive player development environment, free from racism, hate and discrimination, MLS NEXT has established the Equity Action Committee (EAC), adding this new diversity, equity, and inclusion arm of the player development platform, to the overall MLS NEXT governance structure. 

MLS NEXT is committed to creating and enacting policies and programs that protect and educate its youth soccer culture of players, coaches and staff through a series of initiatives including educational sessions, guided discussions, and shared experiences. MLS NEXT will provide support for coaches and players without discrimination while emphasizing the League’s commitment to drive positive social change. 

“Major League Soccer is committed to cultivating and ensuring an inclusive environment at all levels of the game,” said Sola Winley, Major League Soccer’s EVP and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. “The MLS NEXT platform offers an important opportunity to increase access and representation for diverse athletes and administrators, while educating the next generation of players, coaches, leaders and fans who will shape the future of our sport and our communities. Through the implementation of these key initiatives, our hope is that each participant that comes through this program will grow as an athlete and as a person.”

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA has announced adjustments to the WTA Ranking system to account for the continued schedule modifications affecting the Tour calendar following the 2020 pandemic-shortened season. 

WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon stated, "The WTA has worked closely with the WTA Players’ Council, players, and WTA Board over the past several months to identify appropriate changes to the WTA Rankings that will help serve as a pathway to return to the traditional 52-week WTA Ranking system."

The underlying principles to the latest ranking modifications include the following:

• Return to the traditional 52-week ranking system in the fairest possible way
• Whenever possible, WTA points should be on a player’s ranking for a minimum 52 weeks and not exceed 104 weeks 
• Players should have the opportunity to defend points that are dropping
• When WTA ranking points drop, they will drop at 100% 

The adjusted system will be implemented beginning Monday, April 5, at the conclusion of the Miami Open. 

Guidelines and a breakdown per below