Edose Ibadin will head to the Paris 2024 Games as Nigeria’s first 800m runner to compete at the Olympics since Seoul 1988, a dream that took twelve years to achieve.
Nigerian 800m record holder Edose Ibadin is thrilled to make the Paris Olympic team twelve years after writing the vision down as a teenager.
Ibadin qualified for the Paris Olympics after running a blistering 1:44.65 on July 30, 2023, which was within the qualifying window to surpass the automatic standard of 1:44.70.
By making the team, the 31-year-old will become the second Nigerian to run in the event at the Olympics since Ado Maude at the Seoul 1988 Games.
Expressing his excitement on his X page, the experienced runner quoted his tweet in 2012, affirming he’ll be at the Olympics one day.
“When I tweeted this, I was 18(soon to be 19) and a freshman in college. 12 years later, I’m now 31 headed to my first Olympics later this month. Only had one scholarship offer, Never made an NCAA final, didn’t have a contract coming out of college. Always bet on yourself.”
He also took to his Facebook page to show gratitude to everyone who has helped him achieve his dream
“After not making the Tokyo Games, I was sad and at the same time reminded that weeping may last through the night but joy comes in the morning. To everyone who has invested in this journey, I just want to say thank you.
“To Every coach I’ve had to every person I’ve trained with, I thank you. From prayers, encouraging words, tough love, none of it was in vain.
‘I’ve learned a lot of on this journey and I am glad that Paris gets to be a part of it.” he wrote.
Ghana has been awarded the rights to host the 2026 Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Seniors Championships, triumphing over Botswana in a competitive bid.
The country’s athletics governing body, Ghana Athletics announced on Saturday via its social media handles that the West African nation will host the 2026 edition.
Breaking! Ghana Athletics wins bid to host the 2026 African Athletics Championship in Accra.
The Confederation of African Athletics has confirmed in its Council Meeting in Douala, Cameroon.
Bid Team Mr. Majid Bawa (NSA), Fuseini Bawah and Charles Osei Asibey of Ghana Athletics pic.twitter.com/cuBgjv2nkY
Out of the 15 countries that voted for the next competition host, Ghana garnered 12 votes, while Botswana managed only three.
Ghana’s successful bid was led by a delegation including Deputy Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Bawa Majeed, President of Ghana Athletics Bawah Fuseini, and Vice President in charge of administration Charles Osei Assibey.
Following the CAA General Assembly in Douala where it was announced that Botswana and Ghana are the countries being considered, the latter was encouraged to bid for the prestigious event, leveraging its world-class facilities showcased during the recent African Games 2023 and the CAA Region II Seniors Championships.
The country is now expected to deliver another exemplary event in 2026.
In the ongoing championships, three Ghanaian athletes have advanced to the semi-finals of the 100m events. Isaac Botsio and Edwin Gadayi secured their places in the men’s 100m, both finishing second in their heats. Deborah Acheampong also advanced in the women’s 100m, finishing second in her heat.
The Confederation of African Football has set July 2025 as the date for the next Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The competition had initially been scheduled to be played this year in Morocco.
However, a decision at a CAF Council meeting earlier on Friday, June 21, moved the tournament to next year.
The 21-day continental event will commence on July 5, 2025, and end on July 26, 2025.
This comes after months of uncertainty following the completion of the qualifiers.
“I am also impressed by the enormous growth of Women’s Football in Africa and I am expecting the WAFCON Morocco 2024 to be immensely successful,” CAF president Patrice Motsepe said.
“We will continue to make significant progress in developing and ensuring that African Football is globally competitive and amongst the best in the World.
“CAF is grateful to King Mohamed VI of Morocco, the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (“FRMF”), its President Fouzi Lekjaa, the Government, and the people of Morocco for hosting the CAF TotalEnergies AFCON Morocco 2025 and the CAF TotalEnergies WAFCON Morocco 2024.”
Ghana’s Black Queens had secured qualification for the competition after missing out since 2018.
Asante Kotoko striker Kalo Ouattara has bid farewell to the club following his release, part of a massive clear-out that saw 18 players let go in less than 24 hours.
This significant overhaul is part of a comprehensive rebuild process aimed at revitalizing the team for the upcoming season.
The 22-year-old Ouattara, who joined Asante Kotoko at the start of the season from Berekum Chelsea, featured in 24 games and scored four goals, including one in the final game of the season.
Despite his efforts, the Porcupine Warriors finished the season in a disappointing sixth place with 49 points, 12 behind champions Samartex.
In a heartfelt message shared on social media, Ouattara expressed his gratitude to the club, his teammates, and the fans, with a special mention to the club’s video analysts.
Read the full note below:
“I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you as I prepare to move on from my time with Asante Kotoko.
I want to say a special thank you to the video Analysts of Asante Kotoko for their motivation every time and their dedication in making me a better player.
While my journey here has come to an end, the experiences and memories we’ve shared will forever hold a special place in my heart.
To my fellow players, it has been an honor to stand alongside each of you on the field.
And to our loyal supporters, your unwavering enthusiasm and encouragement have fueled our determination and made every match a memorable experience. Your presence at the games and your messages of support online have meant the world to me and the entire team.
As I embark on the next chapter of my journey, I will carry with me the lessons learned during my time at Kotoko.
Warm regards,
Kalo Ouattara”
Ouattara’s departure is part of the club’s strategic plan to rebuild and strengthen the squad for a more competitive performance in the next season.
Ghana youth international Mathew Anim Cudjoe has left Scottish side, Dundee United, after both parties failed to reach an agreement over a renewal.
The attacking midfielder’s contract with the club expired at the end of the season and there were ongoing talks over a possible renewal.
However, after extended negotiations between the player’s entourage and the club, Dundee United have agreed to part ways with the exciting winger.
The Tangerines confirmed the departure of Anim Cudjoe on the club’s website on Tuesday, June 18.
“We can confirm Mathew Cudjoe has decided to call time on his Tannadice career. The club made an offer which reflected our vision for Mathew in both financial and footballing terms however the Ghanaian has decided to pursue his career elsewhere,” the statement read.
During his time at the club, the Ghanaian scored five goals in 46 games for the club featuring in the Premiership and the Championship.
Serbian champions, Red Star Belgrade, has announced the signing of Ghanaian international Ebenezer Annan.
The left-back joins the club in a permanent deal from Serie A side Bologna, penning a three-year deal. The contract also has an option for him to extend for another year.
The defender spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Novi Pazar in the Serbian Superliga where his performances impressed many clubs including Red Star Belgrade.
“Red Star continues with activities when it comes to the summer transfer window and we are very pleased to announce that Ebenezer Annan has signed a three plus one-year contract with our club,” wrote the club announcing Amman’s arrival ahead of the new season.
Annan, through his impressive displays at Novi Pazar, was called up into the national team in March for the friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda.
He also returned to the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Mali and Central African Republic.
The season is over and, of course, it’s time for drama at Asante Kotoko (wait your turn, rivals Accra Hearts of Oak; yours would probably be more spectacular given the rubbish, near-tragic campaign you just had).
It was only last Sunday that the Porcupine Warriors thrashed Bofoakwa Tano 3-1 to finish sixth — the club’s lowest placement since 2010, when they also ended up in an identical position. Had they played much of the 2023/24 campaign the way they did on its last matchday — with a flourish even the relentless rain couldn’t dampen — Kotoko would likely have done much better on the final standings.
Clearly, change — of a significant kind — would be needed to ensure next season aligns more with the club’s lofty standards and expectations.
But, even so, nobody quite envisaged the scale of that change being as massive as this week’s announcements by the club on its official social media platforms revealed: as many as 18 outgoings from the playing body (and there is no promise there wouldn’t be more between now and the start of the campaign to come).
Asante Kotoko has this afternoon parted ways mutually with the following players.
The profiles of the affected players — from veterans (Danlad Ibrahim) and cult favourites (Georges Mfegue) to ‘starboys’ (Isaac Oppong) and flops (Kalo Ouattara) — varied as widely as the reaction among the fanbase to the development, but there has been little about the collective feedback to suggest any measure of pleasure about the wholesale nature of these exits.
It’s not just about Kotoko losing so many players (all but one of whom arrived only in the last four years) without getting a pesewa in return — even if that is now an admittedly concerning, perennial feature of the club’s transfer business — as it is about losing so many players who’d walk straight into the starting lineups of some of the other teams in the league, potentially even to the benefit of direct rivals.
Those fears aren’t unfounded, given there are very recent examples of such stories.
The division’s freshly-crowned topscorer, Berekum Chelsea’s Stephen Amankona, was let go last year after a couple of admittedly underwhelming seasons. A slightly earlier departee, midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh, played a leading role in helping Samartex become the league’s latest champions.
Granted, not all, if any, among the latest batch of leavers would have that sort of success. But it is the feeling that Kotoko, with only a bit more patience, could have extracted more from these players — such as exciting attacker Oppong and promising full-back Nicholas Osei Bonsu, for whom the loudest ohs and ahs were reserved by stunned fans online — which grates on those who’d want to see the club make good returns on its investment.
For an institution that struggles to generate enough funds to merely sustain itself, the turnover rate at Kotoko is ridiculously high; certainly, an outfit so cash-strapped cannot afford to be this wasteful.
The excuse this time (as always) may be that it clears the slate considerably for the head coach, Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum, to rebuild, but if anyone should leave so Kotoko finds their way again, it is probably Ogum himself — especially after his unforced, post-season mea culpa.
Don’t hold your breath, though; with him doubling as a member of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) that has only one other member on the ground (and even he is a traditional chief with little football knowledge), Ogum is going nowhere anytime soon.
Barring any unforeseeable occurrence, he’ll have another chance at success next season — but there would be no such shot at redemption, at least not in Kotoko colours, for the players he has now flushed out of the club.
Favour Ofili is Nigeria’s new 100m champion and automatic qualifier for the Paris Games after winning the Olympic trials in Benin to become the fastest woman in the country.
Delayed but not denied, Favour Ofili made a triumphant return on home soil by winning the women’s 100m national title at the Nigeria Olympic trials as her time also surpassed the Paris Olympics qualifying standard.
Ofili, who last raced in Nigeria in 2021, continued with her brilliant 2024 season at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin. She came to the trials not just as the favourite to win, but most importantly, with another chance of hitting the Paris Olympic qualifying 100m standard.
The talented speedster began her chase with a statement victory and Season’s Best (SB) of 11.17s in the semifinals – the fastest overall time.
Less than two hours later and in the absence of her fierce rival Rosemary Chukwuma in the final, Ofili had just one goal in mind – secure her Olympic ticket and win her first national senior title.
She did both astonishingly by blazing to an impressive new SB of 11.06s, a time good enough to automatically surpass the Olympic qualifying standard of 11.10s.
African Games revelation Olayinka Olajide was second in 11.37s, while Justina Eyakpobeyan secured the last podium placement in 11.47s.With Ofili’s victory and ticket to Paris, this means she has now qualified for the Olympic Games in the 100m and 200m events, and earned the bragging rights of being called Nigeria’s fastest woman for the next year.
Conseslus Kipruto will miss a second straight Olympics after his failure to qualify for the Paris Games but he still has time to revive his career following a series of misfortunes.
Conseslus Kipruto remains the last man to win a steeplechase gold medal for Kenya at both the Olympics and World Championships but will miss the Olympics for the second time in a row.
Kipruto had an awful performance at the Athletics Kenya trials when he faded into 10th place and missed the cut completely after posting 8:51.56.
He missed the 2020 Olympics, before managing bronze and the 2022 Worlds, but failed to qualify for last year’s global championships and heading to Paris, Kenya would have done with his experience and knowhow, but the job now rests on the shoulders of 21-year-olds Simon Koech and Amos Serem as well as Commonwealth champion Abraham Kibiwott.
Steeplechase was considered a Kenyan race since no other country had claimed an Olympics gold over the distance since 1968 until Kipruto’s heroics in Rio eight years ago but now, there is little hope as Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali has taken over, winning it in Tokyo, as well as the last two World Championships.
Kipruto is, however, looking at the glass half-full in regards to his career with hopes of coming back strongly.
“Last month, I went to Morocco but I didn’t open the season the way I expected but I had a problem and I have now worked on it,” he said after the Olympics trials.
“I think I’m doing much better right now unlike last year. I am now doing okay and I have so much faith in myself. Last year, I wanted to go to the World Championships but I got a problem and had to withdraw but now, I’m doing well,” Kipruto said
The Vice President and 2024 flagbearer of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has congratulated newly-crowned Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League champions, Hasaacas Ladies, following their success at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Bawumia’s message comes after the Hasmal Ladies defeated Ampem Darkoa Ladies to reclaim the Womens’ Premier League title for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign.
Veronica Baa Kuma and Mukarama Abdulai scored the goals for Hasaacas Ladies in the final on June 8.
Following their success, they have received a congratulatory message from Bawumia who is hoping the club will go all the way to replicate their success from the 2020/21 season when they reached the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Hasaacas Ladies will play in the WAFU B Champions League qualifiers to be staged in Abidjan in August 2024.Yussif Basigi’s side will be hoping to win the competition which will also serve as their ticket to the main CAF Women’s Champions League competition.
