Sports - Ghana-Nigeria Meet To Box
In the telex message, proposed Saturday, February 25th, for the tournament, but said it could accept any other date convenient to Nigeria.
But according to the New Nigerian, NABA accepted the challenge proposed Friday, March 16th for the first- round tournament in Lagos and asked Ghana to name its convenient date for the return match.
Already Nigeria has 20 boxers in camp at the National Institute for Sports, Surulere, Lagos, in preparation for the Los Angeles Olympic Games next July.
The boxers have a series of tournaments mapped out for them both Ghana nationally and internationally to test their skill.
If finally agreed, the Ghana-Nigeria tourney will be one of the test matches which will include trips to Bulgaria for the Strangata Cup Invitational Inter national Boxing Championships (February 27th to March 3rd) and Bangkok, Thailand, for the King's Cup International Boxing Championships (April 1-18).
Nigeria will also be involved in the International Boxing Championships taking place in Karsruhe, West Germany, from April 30 to May 6. Ivory Coast ready for contest The Ivory Coast has nearly completed arrangements for the African Cup of Nations tournament scheduled to take place in Ivory Coast from March 4th to 26.
Enquiries by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent in Abidjan showed that the 45,000 capacity stadium in Abidjan, one of the venues of the competition, was being renovated.
A new 30,000 capacity stadium at the second venue of the tournament in Bouake, about 350 kilometres from Abidjan, has just been completed and handed over to the government.
For the first time, the African Football Confederation (AFC) has adopted a permanent emblem for the tournament and has entrusted a Swiss company, International Sports Culture and Leisure Marketing with responsibility for television coverage.' More than 200 local and foreign journalists are expected to cover the competition while 26 African and other television stations agreed to provide live coverage.
Four of the eight finalists - Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Algeria - make up Group B and will play their matches in Bouake, while the remaining four Egypt, Cameroun, Togo and the host country will play in Abidjan.
Tennis champion Nigeria's David Imonite won the 1984 Kenya (open) men's singles lawn tennis championships when he beat Saleem Rana of Kenya 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in Nairobi.
Imonite, seeded number two and winner of the 1979 tournament, started play on an explosive note and led 3-0, then 4-1 before the Kenyan drew level at 5-5. Imonite piled up pressure to clinch the set 7-5 on a tie-breaker.
Rana had it easy in the second set beating Imonite 6-2 but the Nigerian took the third set at 6-4, the Nairobi correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported. Wrestling invitees The Nigerian Amateur Wrestling Association (NAWA) has invited six wrestlers for camping in preparation for the World Cup scheduled for Toledo, USA from March 23 to March 26.
In a statement in Lagos, the association said all the invited wrestlers should bring along their training kits, NSC white pairs of trousers, blazer, jackets, ties, hats, track suits, passports and yellow cards while coming.
The association further said that they should all report to the national secretariat in Lagos immediately.
The invited wrestlers are 52 kilos category Jude Amadi (Lagos) and Tiamiyu Asimiyu (Oyo). 62 kilos category Augustine Atasie (Bauchi) and Anthony Ubakha (Lagos). 74 kilos category Martins Ubaha (Bauchi) and Christopher Eze (Lagos).
The three selected wrestlers will later join the remaining wrestlers representing Africa in Cairo for the journey to Toledo, USA.
Nigeria was given these three places in the African team, because of her performances in these categories during the last All-Africa Wrestling championships.
Kotoko start as favourites Nearly 40 clubs have entered for the prestigious Champions' Cup knockout tournament that begins this month and runs until December.
Last years' champions Kumasi Asante Kotoko, who toppled Egyptian club National SC from their lofty perch, must start favourably in defence of their title, but there are at least 10 other clubs who are equipped to tackle them for the honours.
