by Silas Boahene | Mar 15, 2024 | Africa, Ghana, International, Other Sports
Ghana’s team captain, Abeku Jackson, has won his second medal at the ongoing African Games competition after his success in the men’s 100m butterfly event.
Abeku claimed a bronze medal in the event finishing with a time of 53.80 seconds.
The 23-year-old’s achievement adds to Ghana’s four medals which were won over the weekend and a second for the swimmer after clinching bronze in the men’s 50m butterfly event.
The Ghanaian was beaten to gold and silver by Egypt’s Nasr Abdalla (53.29s) and Eaton Jarden (53.45s) respectively.
The race was done on Tuesday morning after a false start on Monday evening meant it had to be pushed to another time.
On Sunday, Abeku became the Ghanaian swimmer to win a medal at the African Games, ending a long-standing drought in the sport for the nation.
by Silas Boahene | Mar 15, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Tom Vernon will step down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Right to Dream (RtD) Group, the former Manchester United scout has announced.
Tuesday’s announcement ends 25-years of running Ghana’s leading football Academy, an organization he founded.
Vernon will now serve as Executive vice chairman to the board of RtD group and San Diego FC. He will still retain oversight responsibility over the Groups operations in Egypt, San Diego and FC Nordsjaelland.
”As Chairman, however after a quarter century of pushing Right to Dream inch by inch it’s time to achieve a better family balance and spend my reduced time supporting our amazing leadership one step back from the front line, where I can focus on deepening and strengthening our culture and the global connectivity within our community. With my new found time and flexibility I will prioritize Family and Ghana my 1st loves’,” Vernon said in a post on LinkedIN.
In 1999, Tom Vernon started what has now grown into a world class institution, producing elite talents for the world’s most popular sport.
The Group has now expanded from a single academy, to a community with 4 academies and professional clubs in Denmark Egypt and America.
Right to Dream currently employs nearly 1000 highly skilled individuals of different learnings and backgrounds across the world.
In December 2015, Right to Dream officially acquired 99% of FC Nordsjaelland – in a move that announced the Group’s ambition to the world.
Since then, Mohammed Kudus, Kamal Deen Sulemana, Ernest Nuamah and many others have made the transition from the academy in Ghana to the Danish club before moving to greater things.
On what he thinks of the club’s future under the current leadership, Tom Vernon said: ”Our new CEO is Dan Dickinson and there is no one better suited to further knit together our community and grow it. We have been partners for over a decade and friends for much longer. I’m privileged to now work with him even closer in our new roles,” he said.
by Silas Boahene | Mar 12, 2024 | Africa, Boxing, International
South African heavyweight Kevin Lerena lost via unanimous decision on the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou undercard – as he took to the ring just two days after his mother’s death.
The 31-year-old took to the ring on Friday as one of the earlier bouts in Riyadh, as Joshua and Ngannou prepare to go toe-to-toe in a night dubbed ‘Knockout Chaos’.
However, despite an emphatic performance in the final round of the bout, Lerena was dealt a defeat by his Australian counterpart on the night.
In the 10th round, Lerena had his opponent Justis Huni staggering around the ring after landing a number of heavy blows to his opponent.
Huini, 24, was clearly hurt from Lerena’s punches, as he wobbled backwards, but managed to see out the round before eventually claiming the decision win.
On Wednesday, Lerena took to social media to reveal to fans that his mother had passed away just days before the fight.
He wrote on X: ‘Today I lost strongest woman I have ever known. My mom fought tirelessly as a single mom to raise us, and her strength and determination will forever inspire me.
Even in her final moments she fought until the very end, she fought with all her might. Mom, I love you. I will carry on your warrior spirit.
‘Tomorrow night, I WILL FIGHT in your honour because you were a LION and you raised a LION.
‘Your fight lives on in me, and I will always carry your strength with me. Rest peacefully in God’s kingdom’.
Speaking to DAZN after the bout, Lerena then said: ‘Firstly, thank you to everybody for putting on this fight. There is no such thing as good timing when somebody dies. It is tough. But you can’t take anything away from this man. I had him hurt three times but now I am back to the drawing board. I could have finished him but kudos to him.
‘It has been challenging but no excuses. I was trying to finish him when he was on wobbly feet in the tenth. But that’s heavyweight boxing. He boxed better but I had him hurt more. Well done to Justis Huni but I would like to dedicate this performance to my Mum.’
The defeat was Lerena’s second in four bouts – having lost via KO to Daniel Dubois back in December 2022.
Huni, meanwhile, revealed that he took the fight despite having ‘no idea’ what he is being paid in Saudi Arabia.
He said: ‘I’m not worried about money for this one’.
‘This fight is all about performing, getting eyeballs on me,’ he continued. ‘That’s why I’m not worried about the purse.
‘Because while I’m sure it will be good, I also know there are much bigger paydays coming if I do well. This opportunity, it’s massive for me.’
Huni is being considered as an option for the novel ‘5v5’ concept that will pit five of Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn’s men against five promoted by his long-time rival Frank Warren, of Queensberry Promotions.
by Silas Boahene | Mar 12, 2024 | Africa, Boxing, International
The Uganda National Boxing Team, the Bombers will return empty handed from the ongoing World Paris Olympic Games qualifiers, in Busto Arsizio, Italy.
All four boxers who represented the country have now been eliminated, with the team captain, Joshua Tukamuhebwa, being the last to exit the competition.
This is the second unsuccessful attempt by the Bombers to secure slots for the 2024 Paris Summer Games. Their first attempt during the continental qualifiers held in Dakar, Senegal, also ended in disappointment last year where all the six boxers were eliminated.
“Our last boxer in the Olympic qualifiers is out. No boxer has qualified for the Olympics in Italy. We have one more and last chance to qualify a boxer into the Olympics with the 3rd and last Olympic qualifier in May 2024 in Thailand,” Moses Muhangi, the Uganda Boxing Federation President told URN.
The series of disappointments began when Shafick Mawanda lost by a walkover to Singapore’s Teo Wei Xuan in the men’s 51kg category due to his failure to reach the playing venue on time. Muhangi attributed this to the organizing committee’s failure to provide a team manager to travel with the contingent.
Later, Yusuf Nkobeza also took to the ring but lost to Romania’s Andrei Aradoaie 5-0 in the men’s 80kg round of 64 preliminaries leaving the burden on Captain Tukamuhebwa and female boxer Emily Nakalema who have also been eliminated.
But before being knocked out, Tukamuhebwa had been the only beacon of hope after winning his first two bouts and was only two fights away from qualifying. First, he defeated Guatemala’s Garcia Edgar in the preliminary stage of the men’s 63kgs category before defeating Romania’s Robert Jitaru by a split decision to qualify for round of 16 where he eventually lost to Jordan’s Alkasbeh Obada.
On her side, Emily Nakalema who had earlier received a bye lost to Cape Verde’s Ivanusa Moreira 5-0 in the Women 66 kg. “I hope this time around our bosses at National Council of Sports and Uganda Olympic Committee will listen to us as a Federation and support us fully as required with no interference. If the interference does not stop then we are likely to fail for the first time to qualify a boxer for the Olympics,” added a disappointed Muhangi.
The ongoing competition represented Uganda’s second-to-last opportunity for the four-boxer team to secure at least one of the 49 qualification slots for the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Their last chance will be in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 23 to June 3.
Despite being one of the last chances, the team which coached by Twaibu Mayanja and assisted by Joseph Buule has faced tremendous setbacks ranging from lack of preparations to Visa delays which ultimately frustrated the team’s travels and subsequently resulted in the disorganization that saw one of the boxer’s missing his fight.
by Silas Boahene | Mar 10, 2024 | Africa, Ghana, International, Other Sports
Souleymane Tinde and Kevin Danho, representing Ivory Coast, clinched the P100 Men event title at the Padel Accra Open tournament, held last Sunday at the Padel Accra by S2 court. They faced strong competition from the local pair, Daniel Quartey and John Paul, ultimately winning the thrilling match with a score of 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. This event marked the first tournament since the Professional Padel Association of Ghana gained admission from the National Sports Authority.
Despite trailing in the opening set, Tinde and Danho displayed their experience and resilience, making a comeback for the victory. In a post-match interview, Danho expressed his happiness at witnessing the growth of the sport since his last visit to the country in December. He acknowledged the opponents’ high level of play but highlighted the difference in experience between the Ivorian pair and their counterparts.
The tournament, spanning from February 29 to March 3, 2024, featured competitions in various categories, including Men P50, Women P50, and a kids’ tournament. Jean Noel Saïd, the President of the Professional Padel Association of Ghana (PPAOG), expressed satisfaction with the participation of women and children in the event. He also disclosed plans to organize additional events and a professional tournament in Ghana before the year concludes.
