Minister of Youth and sports Development Mr. Sunday Dare has assured that the maiden edition of the Aisha Buhari Female Football Championship would boost female football development in Nigeria, Africa and globally. The Minister made this assertion in his office in Abuja last week when he received in audience the Local Organising committee of the Aisha Buhari Cup competition. “Let me commend the wonderful work that has been done so far by the organizing committee towards having a successful event. I knew that you started with little or no funds, but seeing how much you have done means you are miracle workers. I read a lot about what you have done when I was at the Olympics. I’m not surprised because the theme of the competition” Playing for Good” is in synch with the vision of the Aisha Buhari Foundation which encourages the girl child to excel.” The Minister assured that all necessary support will be given to make the competition a huge success. “When Amaju told me of the plans to stage the competition, the first question I asked him was if he had enough time and he said yes and I promised to lend my support. I’m glad that the event is now a reality. The competition will excite, inspire and unite people. Whatever will unite people has the full support of the Federal Ministry of Youth and sports Development. So my support is total especially since it has to do with female football. FIFA is unapologetic about female football Development. The competition is going to attract more women to take to female football. So it would be nice to see a lot of collateral like jerseys, caps, ball pens, keyholders and other souvenirs printed so that further interest can be generated. I hereby pledge my support and will also get others to support. I know the Lagos State Governor is already doing a lot, but I intend to speak with him to see what more can be done to make the event a success.” In his remarks, Chairman of the committee Barrister Seyi Akinwumi thanked the Minister for his support by getting the PTF to grant permission to have the event staged in Nigeria. He said the importance of the competition is underscored by the interest shown by the 6 top female football playing nations of Ghana, Morocco, Cameroon, South Africa, Mali, host Nigeria and Cote d’ivoire. He appealed to the Minister to assist in accelerating the issuance of entry visas to the teams. The competition will take place in two venues of Agege Stadium and the new refurbished Mobolaji Johnson Sports Arena, Onikan from September 13th-21st, 2021.
Basketball: FIBA, Bitci partnership set to elevate fans experience
FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and Bitci have announced an innovative new global partnership for the period 2021-2023. Bitci will serve as a new Global Partner offering innovative products to the global basketball community. FIBA has identified blockchain technology as a new and unique way for fans to interact and engage with the sport. This technology also aligns perfectly with one of FIBA’s strategic priorities for 2019-2023, which is to enlarge the FIBA family by expanding its partners and embracing new ideas. The global partnership will provide Bitci with key commercial rights across all FIBA competitions, including the FIBA Continental Cups for both men and women, FIBA Youth World Cups, the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 and FIBA’s pinnacle event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023. Specific rights for these events include premium brand visibility on the court and exclusive Presenting Sponsorship Rights for selected FIBA qualifying competitions.
The partnership goes beyond branding elements and will allow Bitci to develop and launch a dedicated FIBA fan token for FIBA’s global fan community. The aim is to provide fans with a voice, giving them the opportunity to vote on various competitions, participate in polls, have access to promotional licensing products, and get special access to tickets and behind the scenes activities. In addition to the FIBA fan token, both parties will also explore the opportunity to develop specific Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), a digital collectible for fans, which will comprise of memorable moments from the FIBA archive. Collecting such special moments securely and exclusively will give fans a unique opportunity to be part of basketball’s history. Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Secretary General, said: “We are excited to enter this new partnership with Bitci.
FIBA is committed to enlarging the basketball family and offering innovative opportunities to our members and fans. We are confident that Bitci will deliver first-class products through the blockchain, with a dedicated FIBA fan token and the joint development of NFTs. Technology is a key driver in basketball and working with Bitci will further enhance our footprint as well as our direct interaction with fans.” Altan Tan, CEO of Bitci, said: “Bitci is honored to enter into this ground-breaking partnership with FIBA. We have been expanding our partnerships globally this year but partnering with FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, is a game-changer for us. It proves Bitci’s commitment to the world of sports by offering secure services in the blockchain industry. We will work diligently to create a unique FIBA fan token that will have a strong and sustainable value for the fans. The future will prove that FIBA has selected the right partner in the blockchain industry.” This agreement was brokered by FIBA Marketing, the strategic partnership between FIBA and Infront.
SPORTEL Awards: Organisers call for entry
With barely one month to the prestigious SPORTEL Awards in Monaco, France, organizers of the event has called for entries. The SPORTEL Awards competition team in a release made available to newstap.com.ng disclosed that the deadline for the submission of entry is September 15. Winners will be announced on Tuesday October 5th, 2020, during the SPORTEL Awards Ceremony. The competition rewards the best sports videos sequences and illustrated sports book of the year. It would be noted that for more than 30 years, the SPORTEL Awards have been rewarding the most beautiful sports footages of the year through two categories: The Georges Bertellotti Golden Podiums and the Sports Book Prize Renaud de Larborderie. A Jury of experts from the sports and media world is invited each year to screen and judge the best sports footages from around the world. It is also responsible for selecting and rewarding the most beautiful sports books
