Sports
Prince Mohammed to fight for world crown
Prince Mohammed, the Ghanaian leading contender to the world light-heavyweight title will meet either Marvin Johnson or Eddie Mustapha for the vacant title, Mr Allotei Cofie, chairman of the Ghana Boxing Associa- tion, has announced.Mr Allotei-Cofie, who represented Ghana at the World Boxing Council congress in Bangkok, Thailand, said the meeting stripped Michael Spinks of his light-heavyweight crown.
The GBA chairman explained that under WBC regulations, champions of the council were not allowed to hold rival bodies' championships at the same time, hence the council's decision to strip Michael Spinks of the title.
Prince Mohammed was due to challenge Spinks for the WBC title when the champion defeated Larry Holmes to annex the International Boxing Federation's heavyweight crown.
Justice Annan on Ghana sports
The Provisional National Defence Council is looking into the possibilities of introducing professionalism into most disciplines of Ghana sports.Mr Justice D.F. Annan, member of the PNDC outlining the new concept, explained that sports have become so expensive a venture that to be successful, sporting disciplines must be able to generate their own funds.
The PNDC member was speaking in Birmingham where he led a Ghanaian delegation to the Azuma Nelson/Pat Cowdell world featherweight championship. He said it was unrealistic to expect top level performances from sportsmen who had to earn their living outside the sporting arena.
"We want to introduce professionalism from colts level. Once they get the message at an early age, we shall be on the way to top level performances," he said.
Mr Amarkai Amarteifio, Secretary for Youth and Sports, said the lifestyle of professional players who returned home at the end of their contract has influenced other players to the extent that running football clubs in Ghana at the moment is an uphill task.
He said club chairmen had spent quite a fortune on players and that the only way Ghana football could thrive again was to introduce professionalism.
Azumah adopts handball
World featherweight champion Azumah Nelson, has offered to help develop handball. Ghana's baby sport. To this end, the world champion has committed part of his earnings from every bout towards the purchase of handball equipment.Mr Amarkai Amarteifio who gave the hint said Azuma chose handball because it is his belief that given the needed encouragement, handball in Ghana will become a major sporting discipline.
Mr Amarteifio said the national women handball team that participated in the African championships in Angola, gave a good account of themselves but against the experienced opponents from the other nations of the continent, their best was not good enough.
World champ on holiday
The World Boxing Council champion Azuma Nelson flew home to Accra last Wednesday after his first round knock-out victory over Pat Cowdell in his second title defence in Birmingham last Saturday.The country's New Nigerian Bank (NNB) Football Club, the current WAFU Cup title holders, was due to play the first leg of the final matches on October 13, in Abidjan, against Ivory Coast's Africa Sports Football Club, with the return leg in Lagos later this month.
Azuma, who was accompanied by his wife Beatrice Tandoh, Mr F.A. Moses, his trainer, Messrs Kermah and Seth Asah, his Ghanaian managers and his father, will take a two-week holiday in Ghana. He will then fly to the United States to prepare for his third title defence against Villassama of Mexico.
Azuma was originally scheduled to meet Villissana in the Ghanaian's first title defence but when the Mexican was stopped by an un-ranked Mexican, the challenge lost its appeal.
The WBC nominated J. Ordenes of Chile, who could last only five rounds in Miami Beach on September 3.
Abiola Babes are challenge Champions
Abiola Babes have won the 1985 Nigerian Challenge Cup. They beat BBC Lions of Gboko 5-4 on penalties in the finals at the Nigerian National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. The two sides were a goal each at full time. Abiola Babes will therefore represent Nigeria in the 1986 African Cup Winners Championship.Nii Amaa Foundation
A non-profit making and non-political body to promote, perpetuate and immortalize the sporting ideas and aspirations of the late Nii Amaa Amarteifio, the renowned Ghanaian sports personality, has been formed.Named Nii Amma Amarteifio Foundation, the body seeks among other things, to conduct research into all aspects of sporting disciplines with the view of encouraging proper development and control.
Findings from researches so conducted are to be channelled to appropriate bodies. The Foundation, which is to be inaugurated in due course, will in addition to its objectives, undertake monthly publications on its activi- ties, organize seminars, conferences, and memorial lectures on topical sporting issues.
Further, it will organize sporting and social activities to encourage and recognize the contributions of all personalities in sports. The Foundation has Mr Rex Danquah, Managing Editor of an Accra Sports Weekly as its president.
Nigeria out of WAFU
Nigeria has pulled out of the current West African Football Union (WAFU) competitions, a senior official said in Lagos.Mr Patrick Opomo, secretary of the Nigerian Football Association (NFA), told reporters Nigeria was pulling out of the competitions for security reasons.
But Mr Opomo said: "The security of the team in Abidjan cannot be guaranteed and we have more value for human life than winning the trophy".
Nigeria had requested WAFU to fix the two final matches on neutral grounds following a stalemate in Abidjan in July when another Nigerian side, the IICC Shooting Stars, played a semi-final match in the Ivorian city against Africa Sports Football Club.
Sports aid for Africa
The world's biggest sports charity show headed by Wimbledon champion Boris Becker and John McEnroe, is being planned for Birmingham early next Summer to raise millions of pounds for the starving in Africa.Sports Aid is the brain child of pop star Bob Geldof, who sees it as a sequel to the Live Aid rock concert at Wembley in July, which brought in 25 million pounds from ticket sales, television rights and donations.
The sports spectacular is scheduled for the National Exhibition Centre, the centre stage of Birmingham's bid for the 1992 Olympic Games.
The proposed highlights are a tennis show- down between Boris Becker and the man he succeeds as Wimbledon champion, John McEnroe and an ice skating show. Both events will be beamed to a television audience, with late May or early June the likeliest date. global
Just as he got the world's musicians to play for nothing last Summer so Geldof hopes to persuade some of the biggest names in sport to do the same.
There are already suggestions that McEnroe has agreed to give his services free of charge and Becker is expected to do likewise.
