SPORT - The African Mirror

Jul

12

2022

South Sudan’s fairytale basketball story shows what’s possible

SPORT

SILALEI SHANI, BIRD STORY AGENCY WHEN the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Africa qualifiers came to a close on July 3, with games played in Egypt, Cote D’Ivoire, and Rwanda, 12 teams had secured spots in the second round of qualifiers commencing at the end of August in a 2 group format, with Cote D’Ivoire, Angola, Guinea, Cape Verde, Nigeria and Uganda in one and South Sudan, Tunisia, Cameroon, Egypt, DR Congo and Senegal in the other. This sets up some tough matches in the next round but there are already some significant stories here. Africa’s…

Jul

11

2022

By The African Mirror

Tennis star is Tunisia’s ‘minister of happiness’

TENNIS

ONS Jabeur from Tunisia has become the first African and the first Arab woman tennis player since 1968 to reach a tennis grand slam singles final. She’s done so at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Author MONIA LACHHEB, Professor of Sociology, Université de la Manouba The open or professional era in tennis started in 1968 and the grand slams are the world’s biggest tournaments – the US Open, the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon in the UK. Jabeur is also the highest-ranked African and Arab player in open-era history – currently second in the world. On court Jabeur is…

Jul

11

2022

By The African Mirror

Ferrari must get on top of engine failures, says Leclerc

SPORT

CHARLES Leclerc expressed concern about Ferrari's engine reliability even as he celebrated returning to the top of the Formula One podium for the first time since April. The Monegasque's Austrian Grand Prix victory was his third in 11 races this season, lifting him to second in the championship but a hefty 38 points behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen. "I definitely needed that one. I mean, the last five races have been incredibly difficult for myself, but also for the team, obviously," he said. "It just felt like everything was against me. So, finally we had a breakthrough good race today…

Jul

11

2022

By The African Mirror

Forest sign Richards from Bayern

SPORT

NOTTINGHAM Forest has signed defender Omar Richards from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on a four-year contract, the newly-promoted Premier League club said. British media reported that Forest paid Bayern a fee of 9 million pounds ($10.82 million) for the 24-year-old left-back, who has played once for the England under-21s. Richards made 17 appearances in all competitions for Bayern in the 2021-22 season as they won a 10th straight German league title but failed to get past the quarter-final stage in the Champions League. Forest, who begin their campaign with a trip to Newcastle United on August 6, has been busy…

Mar

07

2022

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s Mokoka breaks world record in first 50km race

SPORT

SOUTH AFRICA'S Stephen Mokoka, who had never run a 50km race before, broke the world record on home soil in Gqeberha on Sunday. Mokoka, 37, crossed the finish line in two hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds, beating the record set by Ethiopian Ketema Bekele Negasa (2:42:07) at the same event last year. "I'm tired," Mokoka, a three-time Olympian, said. "It's a long way and I don't know how I'm going to feel later, but I enjoyed it." Ethiopia's Amelework Fikadu Bosho dominated the women's race to finish in a time of 3:04:58, nearly four minutes ahead of the rest…

Mar

05

2022

By The African Mirror

Reaction to the death of Australian great Shane Warne

SPORT

FOLLOWING are reactions to the death of Australian Shane Warne, one of the finest leg-spin bowlers of all time. Warne's death came hours after another former Australian cricket great, wicket-keeper Rod Marsh died. CRICKET AUSTRALIA CEO NICK HOCKLEY "Shane was one of the most talented and charismatic cricketers we have ever witnessed. He loved cricket, had an extraordinarily astute understanding of the game and his influence and legacy will last for as long as it is played." AUSTRALIA CAPTAIN PAT CUMMINS "Shane was a once-in-a-century cricketer and his achievements will stand for all time, but apart from the wickets he…

Mar

04

2022

By The African Mirror

Kenya and Zimbabwe have been suspended from world football: what happens next

SPORT

KENYA and Zimbabwe have both been suspended by the world’s football governing body, FIFA, owing to government interference in the operations of the national football federations. Nairobi and Harare dissolved their federations late last year and replaced them with government-appointed officials. The suspension, overshadowed for now by Russia’s dramatic banishment from virtually all international sport, will hit the two countries in the pocket and freeze international participation. Sports researcher Wycliffe Njororai Simiyu explains why this is straight from FIFA’s aggressive policy against what it terms “third-party interference”. Author WYCLIFFE W. NJORORAI SIMIYU, Professor, Health and Kinesiology, University of Texas at…

Mar

01

2022

By The African Mirror

IOC recommends banning Russian, Belarusian athletes from international events

SPORT

MANASI PATHAK THE International Olympic Committee's executive board has recommended sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The IOC said the executive board made the decision "in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants" and that the body was acting with a "heavy heart". The Russian Olympic Committee categorically disagreed with the IOC, saying the decision "contradicts both the regulatory documents of the IOC and the (Olympic) Charter". "As a first step, we consider it necessary to send requests…

Dec

03

2021

By The African Mirror

World athletics ex-boss Lamine Diack dies at 88

ATHLETICS

DIADIE BA LAMINE Diack, the former head of world athletics' governing body who was convicted of corruption last year, died at home in Senegal on Friday at the age of 88, his son told Reuters. Diack led the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) from 1999 to 2015, during which he was later found guilty of running a clique that covered up Russian doping in return for millions of dollars in bribes. A French court sentenced him to four years in prison in 2020, but he was never jailed. He remained under house arrest and was later released on bail.…

Dec

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Sevilla versus Villareal – LaLiga’s African match of the season

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER They could well be having jollof rice and couscous with their paella at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium on Saturday when Sevilla FC and Villarreal CF come head-to-head in LaLiga’s African showpiece game. The fixture may well be in the heart of the south of Spain in the Andalusian capital, but there will be plenty of African flavours on the pitch and in the stands when the 2020 UEFA Europa League winners of Julen Lopetegui and Sevilla come up against the 2021 UEFA Europa League winners of Unai Emery and Villarreal. This game can be considered the “LaLiga…