NIKE and Jordan Brand Named as Exclusive Outfitter of The Basketball Africa League (BAL)

DAKAR, Senegal, July 31, 2019/ -- Cairo, Dakar, Lagos, Luanda, Rabat and either Monastir or Tunis Selected to Host Regular Season; Kigali to Host First-Ever BAL Final Four and BAL Final ;NIKE and Jordan Brand Named as Exclusive Outfitter of BAL 

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) today announced Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and either Monastir or Tunis (Tunisia) as the host cities where the inaugural BAL regular season will take place and Kigali (Rwanda) as the host city for the first-ever BAL Final Four and BAL Final.

Additionally, the BAL announced NIKE and Jordan Brand will be the exclusive outfitter of the new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa and scheduled to begin play in March 2020.

The announcements were made by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall during a reception at the Musée des Civilisations Noires in Dakar in the presence of FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bilé, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, along with current and former NBA and WNBA players.

“Today’s announcements mark another important milestone as we head into what will be a historic first season for the Basketball Africa League,” said Fall.  “We now have seven great host cities where we will play and our first partnership with a world-class outfitter.  We thank our first partners NIKE and Jordan Brand for supporting us on this journey and ensuring our teams have the best uniforms and oncourt products.”

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) announced today that details of the competition schedule for the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 have been finalised.
The International Olympic Committee last month confirmed boxing’s position on the programme. Following their approval, Tokyo 2020 reached an agreement with stakeholders on the event line-up for each session of the boxing tournament.

Sweat pours off Mahiro Takano as the 13-year-old karate black belt trades blows with a grown man almost twice her size, finishing with a blood-curdling roar, then a dainty bow.
The petite schoolgirl is used to punching above her weight -- since taking up karate in kindergarten she has done much to boost the profile of the Japanese martial art, set to make its Olympic debut next year.
But when Tokyo 2020 kicks off a year from now, little Mahiro will be too young to compete.
"It has been my dream to win an Olympic gold medal since I was small," Mahiro told AFP after training in her hometown of Nagaoka, a two-hour bullet train ride north of Tokyo. "It's sad that the Olympics are coming to Tokyo and I can't take part because of my age."

Tokyo is facing a shortage of accommodation when Olympic fans pour into the Japanese capital for next year's Games so officials are looking offshore -- to moored cruise ships operating as floating hotels.
Despite a construction boom, Tokyo could be short as many as 14,000 rooms given an expected surge of Olympics-related tourism, according to researchers.
Local officials think one solution could be to put people up in giant ships temporarily docked off Tokyo and nearby Yokohama during the Games.
Among those on board with the idea is Japan's largest travel agency JTB, which has chartered the 1,011-cabin Sun Princess for the Olympic period, complete with everything from jacuzzis to a theatre.
The agency is offering packages that combine rooms with Olympic event tickets, but they don't come cheap.

AIBA Coaches Instructor Ofori Asare has returned to Ghana after conducting a successful coaching course in Uganda.
The coach of the Ghana Amateur Team, the Black Bombers said all went on well and his students embraced the programme with joy and dedication.
He said they exhibited discipline and contributed positively to the course.
He was admired by the Ugandan boxing trainers and took pleasantries with him wishing him well and hoping for his return.

Former World Boxing Organisation (WBO) super bantamweight, Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe, has begun training under the tutelage of renowned coach, Freddy Roach, as he looked to revive his career.
Dogboe is looking to come back stronger from two consecutive defeats to Emanuel Navarrete which saw the Ghanaian losing his WBO title to Mexico’s Navarrete in the process.
The 24-year-old hard-hitting pugilist has joined the camp of Roach who trains legendary Filipino boxer Manny Pacquaio after his father and trainer, Paul Dogboe, quit his role with his son in a move to allow a much-experienced trainer take over.

LA Galaxy, Cruz Azul, Club América and Tigres UANL to battle in Semifinals for berth in Las Vegas FinalNEW YORK AND MEXICO CITY (July 25, 2019) – After evenly matched, hard-fought Leagues Cupopening round matches, Major League Soccer (MLS) and LIGA MX confirmed the August 20 Semifinals in Houston and Los Angeles in the new annual competition between the two top soccer leagues in North America.  
 
On the Road to Vegas, where the Leagues Cup Final will be played in September, Houston and Los Angeles will host the semifinals on Tuesday, August 20, with matches between Club América and Tigres UANL, and LA Galaxy and Cruz Azul, respectively.

With the continental finals of Africa, South America, and North, Central America and the Caribbean reaching a crescendo in the past month, the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking has seen a number of significant changes. Unsurprisingly, the regional kings are some of the primary beneficiaries in the July update.
New South American champions Brazil (2nd, up 1) leapfrogged France (3rd, down 1) in second place and trail leaders Belgium by a narrow margin of 20 points. Other sides in the Copa América have improved their ranking positions substantially, namely quarter-finalists Uruguay (5th, up 3), Colombia (8th, up 5), and Venezuela (26th, up 7), who reached their best-ever ranking position after their run to the last eight. Argentina (10th, up 1), who came third, complete a quartet of South American teams in the top ten.

The Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) Normalisation Committee (NC) has proposed August 17 as the date for Congress of the GFA to approve the revised statutes and regulations for the football regulatory body.
According to information available to the Daily Graphic, the FA’s caretaker body, tasked by football’s world governing body to review and amend the GFA’s statutes, submitted the revised regulations to FIFA on May 30 following which they met with the world body in Paris last month on the sidelines of the FIFA Congress to deliberate on the draft statutes and regulations.
In a road map sighted by the Daily Graphic, the committee expects to receive a feedback from FIFA on the approval of the draft regulations and statutes today before serving notice for the GFA Congress to take place.

​The center has the latest equipments and focuses on the promotion of esports in Africa through tournaments and esport players training for international competitions
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 25, 2019/ -- Paradise Game  (www.ParadiseGame.net) Center officially opened its doors on Wednesday July 24th 2019. Located in the neighbourhood with the largest population of the ivorian capital, the first floor of the new shopping center Cosmos Yopougon, is now home of the largest video game venue of West Africa.

With 1200 sq. meters of space, the center has the latest equipments and focuses on the promotion of esports in Africa through tournaments and esport players training for international competitions. Video game fans can now enjoy the latest games while preparing for the upcoming FEJA, the largest esport event in Africa.

Starting in September 2019, a dedicated room of 80 m² will host middle school and high school students for training sessions on computers, robotics, and the development of video games. 

Ghana has won the bid to host the 13th Africa Games after the 2019 edition in Morocco, but it seems all is not going on well with the preparations as some disciplines had to be dropped and the number of sportsmen and women who are going had to be reduced as the Ghana International Games & Competitions Committee claim there are no much funds to take the originally 17 disciplines to the 12thAfrican Games.
When the IGCC met the press for the first time at the media center of the Accra Sports Stadium, they announced that Ghana is preparing for 17 out of the 22 disciplines to participate in the kingdom of Morocco, Rabat to be precise.
Ghana was to take part in athletics, badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe/kayak, cycling, fencing, football, weight lifting, judo, karate do, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, shooting, triathlon and tennis.

The 2019 edition of the Millennium Marathon comes off on September 7th in Accra in a big style. This is the fifth edition and the event is going to be special with many awards for participants and winners.
Interested participants can register now, by dialing *800*17# and win a freebie.
According to the organisers, interested runners can put in GH1 as donation for every 1km run to keep the city of Accra and Ghana as a whole clean.
GCB Bank is now the headline sponsor for the Millennium Marathon 2019, and they are giving out special medals to runners.

Global multi-platinum recording artist Jason Derulo releases the official FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 anthem “Champion” featuring China’s soul queen Tia Ray.

The International Basketball Federation first teamed up with Jason Derulo and global sporting icon Kobe Bryant earlier in the year at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw, presented by Wanda.
 
The star-studded show took place on Saturday, March 16, in the Chinese city of Shenzhen which marked an important milestone in FIBA’s Road to China 2019, as it set out the path for the participating teams in their journey to win the Naismith Trophy.

The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF), has increased the annual grant for member association from $100,000 to $200,000.
Mr. Ahmad Ahmad, President of CAF announced at the 32nd General Assembly of CAF held at Marriots Hotel in Cairo on Thursday.
Addressing delegates Mr. Ahmad said the increment forms part of the reforms instituted towards the growth of the game.
“Another measure which deserves your attention is the differential increase in indemnities of allowances paid to match officials and taken into account by CAF.
“These decisions all come into a new wave of reforms and are meant to give a new dynamic to the general activities of our Confederation,” he stated in his address.
He commended Egypt for warm reception and the excellent tournament, despite the short notice.

The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has said, it will establish a team, that will monitor the establishment of new rules made for zonal level competitions.
In addition, CAF would also fund the salaries of Executive Directors of the zones as part of restructuring of the zones.   
This is to ensure that institutions would involve the principle of evaluation of all competitions with the involvement of the development partners and in consultation with the coaches from the countries concerned.

Black Stars midfielder, Thomas Teye Partey was voted the Footballer of the Year for the second time at the Ghana Football Awards (GFA) on Sunday at the Marriot Hotel in Accra.
The event which was well attended by football and entertainment stars lived up to its billing even with the presence of only two of the Black Stars players who represented Ghana at Afcon 2019. They were Felix Annan and Mubarak Wakaso.
Also in attendance was Ibrahim Tanko, the assistant coach of the Black Stars, and football administrators, coaches and old stars like Johnson Smith, Sam Johnson, Derek Boateng, Fatau Dauda, Joe Addo and Augustine Arhinful who is a member of the board of the organisers.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder, Partey beat off competition from Mukarama Abdulai of Black Maidens and Queens and Richard Ofori of the Black Stars and Maritzburg to win the most prestigious award on the night.

Former Liberty Captain Samuel Sarfo Completes Move To Al Khaleej FC
Former Liberty Professionals captain, Samuel Sarfo has joined Saudi Arabia second-tier club Al Khaleej FC on a free transfer.
The defender has been without a club in the past month after partying ways with Iranian top-flight side Saipa FC following the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2018/2019 season.
Having held fruitful discussions with Al Khaleej FC, the player has agreed to commit his future with the side and has penned a contract with them for the upcoming season.

C.K. Akonnor has revealed that coaching Kumasi Asante Kotoko has made him a better manager.
The ex-Kotoko manager revealed that in spite of the difficulties he had with the Kumasi-based team, they have sharpened his coaching career.
The 45-year-old guided the Reds to the group stage of the 2018/2019 CAF Confederation after an 11-year absence and as well secured their club's return to Africa after winning the just ended Normalisation Committee Special Competition.
A feat which has seen him crowned the Coach of the Year at the 2019 Ghana Football Awards held on Sunday.

Working in collaboration with the International Athletics Film Festival (FICA), the IAAF Heritage and Broadcast departments have announced a mobile film competition open to young filmmakers from around the world.
Open to all aspiring filmmakers regardless of experience under the age of 23, the competition is seeking short athletics-themed films, no longer than two minutes, made on mobile phones.
The winner's prize will be a six-day trip for two to the IAAF World U20 Championships Nairobi 2020 that takes place next July in the Kenyan capital, which includes round-trip flights and hotel accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis.

RABAT, Morocco, July 15, 2019/ -- With Africa’s premier soccer tournament now underway in Egypt, the continent’s top teams are fighting it out for a position in the finals and the ultimate honour of winning the Total Africa Cup of Nations 2019. Along with the teams comes a massive influx of fans and spectators, joining local people going about their daily business and putting a big strain on transport nodes. That’s being alleviated in Egypt, and Cairo especially, with transport solutions from Thales (https://www.ThalesGroup.com/en).

The 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations is the 32nd edition of the tournament which takes place every two years. Organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), it takes place from 21 June to 19 July 2019 and features 24 teams from across Africa.

With more than 50,000 tourists expected to join regular traffic in the cities across Egypt where matches are taking place, Cairo Metro network is playing a crucial role in keeping the tournament moving. Football fans from all over the African continent are using Cairo Metro Line 3 to reach the Stadium station to watch their national teams compete. Thales has supplied Revenue Collection System (RCS) and Integrated Communications and Security (ICS) solution for this line, contracted back in 2007

ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) announced today that Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova will ascend to WTA World No.1 in doubles for the first time in her career when the rankings are released on Monday, July 15.

By capturing her maiden Grand Slam doubles title at Wimbledon, alongside former WTA World No.1 doubles player Hsieh Su-Wei, Strycova becomes the seventh woman representing the Czech Republic to achieve the No.1 doubles ranking. She joins her compatriots Helena Sukova, Jana Novotna, Kveta Peschke, Lucie Safarova, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Africa's football governing body, the Confederation of African Football has announced the format for the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 
Countries from the continent will go through a three-staged qualifying process for the competition, which has five slots for Africa.
The World Cup in Qatar will be the last tournament to host 32 countries at the FIFA World Cup.
Below is the format for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Qatar 2022:

Spanish top-flight side Celta Vigo have signed Ghanaian defender Joseph Aidoo from KRC Genk.
The former Inter Allies centre-back  joins the Sky Blues for a reported €8 million fee.
The 23 year old penned a five year deal that will keep him at the club until June 30, 2024.

Ghana FA presidential hopeful and a former tutor of St. Augustine’s College, Wilfred Osei Kwaku Parma, has congratulated the College for emerging winners of this year’s National Science and Mathematics Quiz (NSMQ) competition.
St. Augustine’s College popularly known as AUGUSCO pulled a stunning performance at the finals.
The school won the contest with 39 points beating their contenders, St Peter’s SHS (PERSCO), with 25 points and Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School (PRESEC), Legon recording 34 points.
AUGUSCO was eager to add a second to the trophy they last won in 2007. They flaunted their strength over the two challengers and finished the contest.

Athletes generally shy away from making pre-race predictions, Sifan Hassan among them. But the Dutch middle distance star made an exception on the eve of Friday's Herculis EBS IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco, declaring that she was intending to run "three or four seconds" faster than her previous mile lifetime best.
Hassan came up a little short in that prediction, but still crossed the line as the fastest miler of all time, clocking 4:12.33 to break a record which had stood for 23 years.
“I knew I could run fast but the first 800 was a bit slow, so after that I wasn’t thinking it would be a world record,” Hassan said. “When I crossed the line I was so surprised."