Sports
Olympics To Tour Nigeria
F.A. Cup Holders, Great Olympics prepare for their participation in the African Cup Winners Cup with a tour of Nigeria.The tour starts with two friendly international matches against two leading Nigerian sides, WAFU champions, New Nigerian Bank in Surulere, Lagos and Africa Club championship participants, I.I.C.C. Shooting Starts of Ibadan.
According to Mr Harry Zakkour, the acting executive chairman of Great Olympics, a team of 18 players and four officials to be led by him will leave Accra by air for Lagos on Monday, 16th January.
The team, which will include among others: skipper Abdul Aziz, Ben Kayede, Seth Wilson, Karimu Alhassan, Abu Imoro, Madugu, Francis Edzie, Felix Mills, Salissu, Dan Forster, Maclean, Isaac Acquaye, Yakubu Gambo and Abdulai (Yashin) will play their first match against New Nigerian Bank on Wednesday, 18th January, with the last match against Shooting Stars in Ibadan two days after.
Obisia sacked
African Boxing Union (ABU) super lightweight champion Obisia Nwamkpa of Nigeria has been dismissed from the army for defiling a seven year-old girl.Obisia was reduced from Warrant Officer Class One to Class Two before being dismissed from the army for raping the girl who is a daughter of a soldier colleague.
The incident was first reported by the Evening Times newspaper and later confirmed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Obisia's early life was spent in remand home where prowess boxing got him released to represent Nigeria in African, Commonwealth and Olympic Games in which he won gold medals. Obisia joined the paid ranks in 1975 and has lost only two fights. His latest victim was Ghana's Baba Sumaila whom he stopped in the ninth round as a result of an eye cut.
Two relegated
Accra Standfast and State Traders of GNTC who finished last on the table of the national first division league competition have been demoted to the second division. Kumasi Asante Kotoko finished champions. Their places have been filled by Cape Coast Venomous Vipers and Kumasi Neoplan Stars who finished top of the second division.They join ten first division clubs to compete in this year's competition which kicks off on 1st April, 1984, Meanwhile, the registration of players for the competition has ended with each team allowed 35 players.
Kotoko player honoured
Kumasi Asante Kotoko's inside left, Opoku Nti who got the goal which won his side the Africa Club championship soccer cup has been voted runner up in the honours list of Jeune Afrique, the monthly African sports magazine published in Paris.Ethiopian Kebede Balcha the silver medallist in the Helsinki Marathon, shared second place with 19 votes each with Opoku Nti.
Moroccan long distance runner Said Aouita topped the list as the African Champion for 1983. Aouita was a bronze medallist in the 1500 metres at the Helsinki World Athletics Championship and a double gold medallist of the Cassablanca and Mediterranean Games.
Other placings were: 4. Bekele Debele, Ethiopia, world cross country champion; 5. Abdul Razak Ghana, Soccer star with Egypt's Arab Contractors.
Another title fight for Azuma
Azuma Nelson, the African and Commonwealth Featherweight champion is expected to fight for the World title this year. At a convention last month in Las Vegas, the World Boxing Council ruled that Juan Laporte must defend his world title to Wilfredo Gomez of Puerto Rico within 90 days. The winner of this fight must compulsorily defend the title against Azuma Nelson, also within another 90 days.Azumah battering Nigeria's Akindele to retain his African and Commonwealth featherweight titles last year.
The most likely date for Azuma's fight therefore is the end of May 1984. Azuma Nelson, who attended the convention, has since returned home to Accra, but was expected to go back to the US soon to begin training for the fight.
