NEW YORK (Monday, July, 2021) – Real Salt Lake midfielder Damir Kreilach has been voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 12 of the 2021 MLS season.
Kreilach scored two goals in Real Salt Lake’s 4-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Real Salt Lake midfielder opened the scoring inside the first minute when Aaron Herrera found him in the box with a long through ball. Kreilach did well to get in front of his defender and then delicately chip the ball over the Whitecaps goalkeeper with his first touch to complete the move (WATCH GOAL HERE). Coming just 42 seconds into the game, it was the third-fastest Real goal from the start of a game in club history.
In the 57th minute, Justin Meram delivered a cross into the Whitecaps box that Kreilach connected with well to double Real Salt Lake’s lead (WATCH GOAL HERE). Kreilach had an opportunity to complete the hat trick late in the game, but his shot took a deflection off a defender and fell to Anderson Julio for the team’s fourth and final goal of the game.

Olympic, world and Pan American champions and medalists will prepare for the Games at the camp thanks to the partnership between Panam Sports and authorities of the city of Tachikawa.

TACHIKAWA, JAPAN (July, 2021) — For the first time in history, the Pan American Sports Organization is bringing together outstanding track and field athletes, swimmers, volleyball players and judokas from the Americas prior to the Olympic Games.

Thanks to an important agreement between Panam Sports, ADK and Tachihi Holdings, more than 113 people including athletes and coaches have the opportunity to participate in the largest training camp in terms of number of Olympic Committees that is being held in Japan prior to the Olympics in Tokyo.

Ghanaian weightlifter Christian Amoah who is representing at the Olympic Games for the second time says he will be the man to watch at Tokyo 2020.
In an exclusive chat with Yours Truly, the James Town based guy said he does not want to talk much, but the stage will judge his performance.
“I don’t want my competitors to know how much am carrying now,but I can say my training is good and I am lifting very good weights” he said.
The number 4 in the Commonwealth rankings and second best in Africa said he will surprise many people.

The world's best athletes have plenty of opportunities to bank on their popularity. Besides lucrative sports contracts, most of them earn even more significant profits from heavy endorsement deals.
Although the MMA fighter Connor McGregor grasps the top of this list, most of the world's highest-paid athletes come from another sport.
According to data presented by SafeBettingSites.com, NFL players top the ranking of the highest-paid athletes with combined earnings of over $837 million.
18 NFL Players Among the Highest-Paid Athletes, Basketball Follows with 13 Players on the List
In 2021, Conor McGregor racked up on and off-field earnings of around $180 million. However, the fighter was the only athlete from his discipline to make it into the Forbes` Top 50 highest-paid athletes list.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today launched the latest story in its “Stronger Together” digital campaign, featuring tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, as she prepares to make her Olympic debut later this month. The video is the third amongst a series of five first-person, athlete narratives intended to build excitement for the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Osaka’s video follows Tony Hawk and Usain Bolt, each echoing the broader message that we are “Stronger Together.”Ahead of her participation in Tokyo 2020, Osaka says, “People might think I’m quiet. Different. That I don’t fit the box of what an Olympian should be. But I’m proof that the definition is bigger than people think.”


See the Naomi Osaka film here.
​

Osaka also delivers a deeply motivating message, “I want to inspire the girls out there watching right now. The ones that some people think are too different. Too quiet. Too something. And if we don’t fit that expectation of what people think we’re supposed to be, good! That just means we’re the ones who get to change it.”

​Exorcising the demons of the 2012 Olympic Games embarrassment at the hands of the USA men’s basketball team, when USA ran a scoring clinic on Nigeria defeating them 156 – 73, Nigeria turned the tables on the USA tonight in Las Vegas, when they took it to them defeating them 90 – 87. This was a first for an African nation.
 
Led by sharpshooter and arguable one of the top 2 Player in the Game today in Kevin Durant, Team USA ran into a feisty and well prepared Nigeria team led by Precious Achuiwa and Coached by NBA winning Coach Mike Brown.
 
Nigeria drew first blood and scored the first points but will then trail well into the 3rd Quarter before pulling even and then go on to match the USs’ Sharpshooting. 
 
Holding on to a thin lead into the waning minutes of the Game with Kevin Durant heating up, Nigeria held on to win 90 – 87.

Just five days after being pushed down a place on the world 400m hurdles all-time list, Norwegian star Karsten Warholm responded in sensational style to smash Kevin Young’s long-standing world record, clocking 46.70* at the Oslo Bislett Games, this season’s fourth Wanda Diamond League meeting, on Thursday (1).

Speaking at the pre-event press conference, the two-time world champion had highlighted the impact of top-class rivalries. “Your competitors are what really push you towards bigger things,” he said. “If it was only me running quick times, I wouldn’t need to push it any further, but with people there running fast times, I need to take a step up as well.”

He certainly did that when racing in front of a home crowd of 5000 at the Bislett Stadion

Gaby Ahrens spoke at the athletes ambassador workshop organised in association with the Nambia National Olympic Committee ©Getty Images
Former and current Olympians in Namibia have attended an athletes ambassador workshop that looks to improve on their media relations and personal brand building skills.
The event was held by the Namibia Athletes' Commission and Namibia Olympians Association, in conjunction with the Nambia National Olympic Committee (NNOC).
Among them was three-time sport shooting Olympian and chairperson of the Athletes' Commission, Gaby Ahrens, who spoke about the necessity for the workshop and how to deal with your mental health in relation to media presence.
Recently, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open due to mental health concerns, having previously stated she wished to not speak to the media during the event.

The state of emergency in Tokyo will end on June 20 ©Getty Images
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced the state of emergency in Tokyo and eight prefectures will end as planned on June 20, nearly a month before the start of the Olympic Games.
Tokyo has been under state of emergency restrictions since April, which were introduced to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
The measures were originally scheduled to expire at the end of May, but were extended until June 20 to help continue a downward trend of cases.
The Aichi, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Okayama, Osaka and Okinawa prefectures have also been under the restrictions.
The state of emergency measures will conclude as planned on Sunday (June 20) in all but one of the prefectures.
Okinawa will remain under tighter restrictions until July 11.

The Minister of Youth & Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif on Tuesday had a fruitful discussion with the First Vice President of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Dr. Henry Manly-Spain on the way forward to get more world champions for Ghana and to make lives of boxers and other sportsmen and women better.
He assured the GBA of total support and opportunity when the need arises, as he has come to make all disciplines vibrant and active.
The GBA First Vice President informed the Sports Minister about the impending elections and the need for Ghana to host some international boxing conventions to boast the economy and promote tourism.
He briefed the minister about the GBA TV coming up via traditional and new (social) media as well as involving gyms, coaches and boxers from other regions to move Ghana Boxing high.

The EP Queens and Cell C Sharks Women will kick off the Premier Division action on Saturday in Port Elizabeth at 12h00

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 17, 2021/ -- While the scramble for second place on the standings will be a big driving force for a few Women’s Premier Division teams this weekend as the competition enters round seven, the teams participating in Group 2 of the First Division will look to build momentum after kicking off their competition last week.

The EP Queens and Cell C Sharks Women will kick off the Premier Division action on Saturday in Port Elizabeth at 12h00, while the Boland Dames take on log-leaders, DHL Western Province, in the Western Cape derby in Wellington at 14h00, where the hosts will hope to create the upset of the season. Both matches will be streamed live on www.Springboks.rugby.

The main match-up of the round will play out at Loftus Versfeld where the Blue Bulls Women will go full-out to defeat the Border Ladies as they attempt to reduce the gap between the sides on the log with an eye on closing in on second place for a possible final berth. This match will be broadcast live on SuperSport Variety 4 at 13h00.

The two matches in the First Division will see the Pumas begin their campaign against the Valke in Standerton and the Leopards go up against the Limpopo Blue Bulls in Potchefstroom, with both encounters kicking off at 13h00.

​Through this partnership, Acronis and Resello will provide Team Qhubeka ASSOS with award-winning cyber protection technology
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 17, 2021/ --  Acronis (www.Acronis.com), a global leader in cyber protection and Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com), Africa’s UCI WorldTour cycling team, today announced the Official Cyber Protection Partnership which will be supported by Pan-European cloud services distributor, Resello (www.Resello.com).

Through this partnership, Acronis and Resello will provide Team Qhubeka ASSOS with award-winning cyber protection technology.

“As a cycling team at the pinnacle of the sport we are a high-performance sporting organisation, but it’s our unique purpose that sets us apart as we race to change lives with bicycles.

“As an organization that races across the globe over 250 days a year we are constantly in motion; and by working together with Acronis and their distribution partner Resello, we have a great shared opportunity to showcase the ultimate in integrated data protection and cybersecurity solutions (https://bit.ly/3wDIc1Y).

“Our team is underpinned by the philosophy of Ubuntu – I am because we are – and this valued partnership is yet another opportunity to highlight the platform that our team is able to provide in making a meaningful, positive, impact in the world,” said Douglas Ryder, founder of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.

International Boxing Association (AIBA) set a prize fund of $320,000 USD for the medalists of the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships, the first bouts of which start today. The finals, both men’s and women’s, are scheduled for June 24. 
The winners will receive $8,000 USD. For silver medalists, AIBA provides a prize of $4,000 USD, for both bronze medalists – $2,000 each. The awards are equal for both genders in all 10 weight classes.  

TOKYO (Japan) - Hosts Japan's women will face the Russian Olympic Committee in what will forever be remembered as the first-ever 3x3 game in Olympic history in Tokyo, Japan on July 24, 2021.

Launches fundraising campaign at the inaugural World Test Championship Final.The International Cricket Council (ICC) through its Cricket for Good initiative today launched a fundraising campaign to support UNICEF’s emergency COVID-19 response in South Asia. The campaign was launched at the inaugural World Test Championship Final being played in Southampton between India and New Zealand from June 18th and 22, 2021.
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on South Asia, which is home to nearly 2 billion people, and more than a quarter of the world’s children. The sheer scale and speed of the latest surge of COVID-19 across the region has outstripped countries’ abilities to provide life-saving treatment and essential services.

London Marathon Events (LME) today (Thursday 17 June) announced Abbott, the global healthcare company, has extended its partnership with the event for another three years, from 2022 until 2024.
Abbott, a leader in Covid-19 testing technologies, has been an official sponsor of the London Marathon since 2015 and was instrumental in helping LME stage the elite races at the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon on a bio-secure closed-loop circuit around St James’s Park. 
LME is continuing to work with Abbott to support the safe and successful delivery of the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon. The event takes place on Sunday 3 October, when 50,000 people are expected to take on the traditional route from Blackheath to the Mall, while 50,000 take part virtually from wherever they are in the world, creating a historic total of 100,000 participants and the biggest marathon ever staged. It promises to be a spectacular and memorable 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced a major long-term partnership with Upstox (aka RKSV Securities), one of India’s largest investment platforms. The association, which runs to the end of the ICC’s current commercial rights cycle, begins with the inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand starting tomorrow (18-23 June, Southampton, UK).

• The partnership will encompass all ICC events until the end of 2023

Established as RKSV securities in 2009, Upstox has grown rapidly over the years to become one of the largest online investment platforms in India. With 4 million+ customers onboarded, this collaboration with ICC will be pivotal in taking Upstox to the next phase of growth. Engaging with millennials has been the focus of Upstox’s strategy, as the brand continues to execute its vision of making financial investing easy, equitable, and affordable for all.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today the details of its project to plant the “Olympic Forest” in Mali and Senegal, an element of the IOC’s climate-positive strategy.
​The project is a contribution to the Great Green Wall initiative, which restores degraded landscapes across Africa’s Sahel region. It will involve planting around 355,000 native trees across approximately 90 villages in Mali and Senegal – host of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 – and will cover a combined area of around 2,120 hectares.
More than planting trees, the Olympic Forest will contribute to increasing the local communities’ food and economic security. The IOC will work hand in hand with local communities to ensure the Olympic Forest creates diverse social, economic and environmental benefits in an area which has experienced increased droughts and floods, leading to a steady degradation of land and sources of food.

The bright opening ceremony of the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships was held in Roseto degli Abruzzi to mark the start of the tournament. The first fights are scheduled for today, June 17. 
Roseto Major Mr. Sabatino Di Girolamo and FPI Vice President Mr. Fabrizio Baldantoni greeted the participants and officials.
EUBC President Mr. Franco Falcinelli declared the tournament opened. 
'The EUBC U22 European Boxing Championship is a further testimony that our continent has shown great courage and a strong commitment that we will defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. There are 41 countries that have registered their boxers and we can expect a high number of participants: 211 men and 96 women,’ Mr. Falcinelli said.
‘From the 17th to 22nd of June boxing fans can follow the event on live streaming from the preliminary contests until the semi-finals while the finals will be broadcasted by the Italian National TV, RAI at the Palazzo dello Sport, Pala Maggetti of June 24,’ he mentioned.

​The Staff at Africa Sports Monthly names Walter Hodge of Egyptian sports giants Zamalek SC of the Basketball Africa League as the Athlete of the Month for June 2021 
 
Hodge who was named the MVP of the Inaugural Season of the Basketball Africa League was also named to the BAL 2021 first team, leading his team to an undefeated season of 6 wins averaging 15.5 Points, 5.7 Assists and 5.0 Rebounds Per Game.

​As the Track and Field season builds up and national trials ensue around the world to select teams that will be headed to Tokyo this summer for the Olympic Games, Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria who has been nothing but spectacular this season in a slew of performances gave Nigerians and Africans a reason to believe that finally an African Woman sprinter will be in contention for an individual 100 Meters Sprint Medal at the Olympics.
 
A 100 Meters Olympic Finals Medalist has been the most elusive for Africa in the history of the Olympics but reminiscent of a Usain Bolt like dominance of the 100 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, perennial Nigerian and African Sprint Queen Blessing Okagbare stormed off the blocks leaving her competitors in her wake as if they themselves were spectators in awe at what they were seeing in front of them, in a race that will now go down in history as the most dominant 100 Meters sprint performance by a woman on African soil, stopping the clock at 10.62 seconds which was later rounded to 10.63 seconds.

The drama surrounding the match between the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone and the Squirrels of Benin in Conakry Guinea on June 15th 2021 is unlike any ever seen in Football in recent times. 
 
From Positive to Negative COVID tests to a rescheduling of the match that was supposed to have been played in March as one of the last of the qualifiers for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations slated to be hosted in Cameroon to the changing of venue to a neutral one, ended up being a spirit booster for Sierra Leoneans around the world courtesy of a lone Spot Kick by MLS Superstar Kei Kamara.
 
The encounter was a tight one as both sides brought their best to bear and seize the high ground to qualify their teams to the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Cameroon in 2022. 

Former World No. 1 Odunayo Adekuoroye laid down the marker in the 57kg class ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, impressively claiming gold at the Poland Open on a day her compatriot Blessing Oborududu won silver at the Ranking Series tournament in Warsaw.

In the qualification round, Commonwealth champion Adekuoroye took out Ukrainian Tetyana Kit 10-0 via technical superiority, before utterly destroying World and Olympic champion Helen Maroulis (USA) 13-0 in the quarter-finals in their first meeting since the 2018 Beat The Streets tourney in New York.

The 3-time World Championships medalist overcame Russian Valeria Zholobova 10-0 via superiority in the semi-finals to set up a final showdown against Iryna Kurachkina of Belarus.

Nigeria handball international goalkeeper Olatunde Adam has attributed hard work and determination as vital ingredients for his club's triumph at the Arab Handball Super Cup.

Olatunde Adams was on goal as his club Al Shamal of Qatar edged fellow Qatari club Al Gharafa with a slim 23-22 victory to lift the coveted regional cup

Adams, who last played for Nigeria at the All Africa Games in 2019, said the victory was important to him and his club because they were determined to secure a victory in the regional competition for their fans and family.

"It was a very important victory for us and fans who waited all along for us to win the trophy after placing 5th in the league". Adams told HFN Media

ABUJA, Nigeria – June 02, 2021: IBB International Golf and Country Club joined the network of the world’s golf community in celebration of women and girls in the sport with the 2021 Women’s Golf Day event in Abuja on June the 1st.
 
The event opened with an array of colourful appearances of women golfers.
 
Men golfers also came in show of support and solidarity for the women.
 
Attendees came in splashing colours of red tops on white pants with a red/white face-cap to the event organised by the Ladies Section of the club.