The European Union (EU) has warned world sports governing body, International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The EU gave the warning against the backdrop of the moves being made by IOC to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals at the games. According to a report by insidethegames, the European Union took the stand via a resolution that enjoyed overwhelming support. According to the report, the EU in her resolution condemned the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) move to explore ways for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. The motion was adopted with 444 votes in favour, 26 against and 37 abstentions. It stated that allowing competitors from the two countries to participate, as neutrals or not, “runs counter to those countries’ multifaceted isolation and will be used by both regimes for propaganda purposes.” The resolution marks the upcoming one year anniversary of the war, which started with the invasion by Russia on February 24, and also urges its 27 member nations to pressure the IOC into reversing its decision which has been labelled as “an embarrassment to the international world of sport.”

The IOC has argued that it would be discriminatory to exclude Russia and Belarus, despite recommending International Federations ban the pair last February when the invasion first began. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has launched renewed criticism at the IOC and its President Thomas Bach for its change of stance. “The hypocrisy of the IOC President and the Committee is simply pathetic,” Kuleba said. “A country that commits aggression which has been condemned by the vast majority of the UN General Assembly loses the right to compete at the Olympic Games. “This also applies to all its athletes.” Ukraine is considering a boycott of Paris 2024 in response to the IOC’s shift while also trying to mobilise support from other nations. Bach opposed this in a letter he wrote to Ukrainian Sports Minister and National Olympic Committee President Vadym Guttsait. The German stressed that a boycott of the Games would be a violation of the Olympic Charter. “This is one of several options,” Kuleba said. “If Russian and Belarusian athletes were to come to Paris instead of Ukrainian athletes, this would be against all moral, sporting and political standards. “Most of the Russian athletes who won medals at the last Olympic Games represented sports clubs of the Russian army.”
16 Teams For Paul E Football Tournament In Abuja

The stage is set for Abuja to host the Paul E Football U-17 Football Tournament to be competed for by 16 teams. The tournament is scheduled to hold between April 14 and 23 at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja. According to the chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Patrick Ngwaogu, the tournament is for players born on or before 2006. “The tournament is for Nigerians who were born on or before 2006. It is a U-17 tournament aimed at discovering new talents for Nigeria. We have abundant talents here and this tournament will play a huge role in unearthing these talents who can grow to be superstars in the future,” he said. He further said the 16 teams were chosen out of 31 teams that applied to participate in the tournament. “We had 31 teams from across the country that indicated interest in participating in the tournament. They applied and we screened all of them to get the 16 teams that we have now,” he stated. Out of the 16 clubs, 10 are from Abuja, while Plateau, Niger, Lagos, Ekiti, Delta and Benue states have a club each.
NPFL: 3SC official’s urination lands club in trouble
Organisers of the nation’s league, the IMC have come hard on 3SC over the bizarre attitude of one of the club’s officials, Auwal Mohammed. Mohammed, who is said to be 3SC’s Camp Commandant urinated at the center of the pitch in the club’s home game against Akwa United last weekend. The IMC in a letter to the club noted that the act brought the game to disrepute, even as the club was fined N500,000. It is not yet clear if the troubled Ibadan club would appeal the sanction. It would be noted that 3SC has not been having a fine run in the abridged league. The manager of the club Gbenga Ogunbote has appealed to the fans to be patient as he tries to perfect strategies that would see them bounce back. The NPFL has gone on break and would return after the general elections billed for this weekend and early next month.