Category: Sports

Uganda will host the 2012 East and Central Africa Senior Challenge Cup after Kenya was stripped of hosting rights due to its poor organisation, officials said.

Kenya was appointed to host the regional competition at the last Cecafa congress meeting in Dar es Salaam last December.

However, general secretary Nicholas Musonye said they have had to reverse that decision after the tournament sponsors, East African Breweries Limited asked to move it to Kampala.

“The sponsors raised their concern over the organizational abilities of the Football Kenyan Federation, which has been accused of being so divisive.”

“The sponsor has the final obligation to make their decision where they would want the tournament to be held. It’s Uganda and that is their stand,” said Musonye.

Meanwhile Rwanda President Paul Kagame hosted the Cecafa champions-Yanga Africans Sports Club of Tanzania- Village Urugwiro, 23 August.

President Kagame noted that sponsorship of the regional tournament (populary known as Kagame Cup) will continue even after he leaves political office.

Arsenal midfielder Alex Song is the latest star player to leave the Emirates Stadium after Barcelona agreed a deal to sign the Cameroon star on Saturday.

“Arsenal Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for the transfer of Alex Song to Barcelona,” an Arsenal statement read.

“Song will now travel to the Catalan club to agree personal terms and undergo a medical ahead of the proposed move.”

Barca then revealed they had agreed to pay £15 million (19 million euros) for Song, who will have a release clause of 80 million euros inserted in his contract.

Song has made 204 appearances for Arsenal during his seven seasons at the club, scoring 10 goals, was missing from the squad for the Sunderland clash after Barca made their interest known earlier in the week.

However, while Wenger described van Persie’s exit as a “bitter pill”, he isn’t so concerned about losing Song and he hinted he could sign a replacement before the transfer window closes on August 31.

Jamaican Sprint SuperStar Usain Bolt has slammed critics who claim that he has been using performance enhancement Drugs suspecting that he could be having samples of yamogen, potatosium, banananitrite and boiledumplinium in his blood system.

Fresh off completing his historic gold-medal double at the 2012 London Olympic, Usain Bolt has taken a swipe at American sprinter and legendary runner Carl Lewis.

Lewis—who won five sprint gold medals—had inferred that the fastest man in the world could have a drug link in his past and that only “time will tell” whether or not he is in fact clean and thus the greatest sprinter of all time.

Carl Lewis said,”When people ask me about Usain Bolt, I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time. But for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next…If you don’t question that [result] in a sport that has the [drug] reputation that it has right now, you’re a fool. Period.”

Naturally Bolt reacted in defense, saying that he had lost all respect for Lewis after his comments.

Carl Lewis tested positive three times to drugs and his victory in the 1988 Seoul Olympics 100-meter final is considered the dirtiest race of all time, whilst Bolt has never been found guilty in all the drug tests and samples he has given.

London Olympics chief organizer Sebastian Coe said August 9, he was satisfied that double sprint champion Usain Bolt and his Jamaican teammates were being properly drug-tested outside of races.

Coe was dragged into the row that erupted after Bolt said following his 200m victory Thursday he had lost all respect for Carl Lewis because the U.S. sprint legend has doubted the toughness of Jamaica’s drug-testing procedures.

Manchester United footbal Club have agreed a £24m deal to sign Arsenal striker Robin van Persie on a four-year contract.

The 29-year-old will meet with United in the next 48 hours to discuss personal terms and have a medical.

Arsenal captain Van Persie announced in July he would not extend his current deal, which expires in June 2013.

“Manchester United is pleased to announce it has reached agreement for the transfer of Robin Van Persie,” the club said in a statement.

“The deal is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms. A further announcement will be made in due course.”

United will pay £22.5m, with a further £1.5m one-off bonus to follow if they win a Premier League or Champions League title in the next four years.

A Congolese judo competitor and three other members of the Congolese Olympic delegation have gone missing in London since the weekend, local media reported on Monday.

This adds to a list of seven other African athletes who vanished during the Games.

Democratic Republic of Congo’s Cedric Mandembo, who lost his only judo match in 49 seconds to Russian Alexander Mikhaylin in the 100 kg category, disappeared shortly after Sunday’s closing ceremony and was not answering his mobile phone, U.N.-sponsored Radio Okapi reported, citing the Congolese Olympic Committee.

Congo judo coach Ibula Masengo, boxing trainer Blaise Bekwa, and national technical director of athletics Guy Nkita had also gone missing, according to the report, which said all four had left the Olympic village with their luggage.

No further details were immediately available in London and a government spokesman said the Home Office did not comment on individual cases.

Olympic officials are also looking for seven Cameroonian athletes who went missing during the Games.

Cameroon officials asked for help tracking down five boxers, a swimmer and a soccer player, and said they were probably seeking to stay in Europe for economic reasons.

The London Olympic organising committee said it had notified British police about the missing Cameroonians, but added that the athletes would not be infringing immigration laws until their visas expired in November.

Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich crossed the finishing line Sunday after 42km marathon at the London 2012 Olympic Games to become the most unexpected Olympic champion.

“Since 1972, Uganda has not won a gold medal,” Kiprotich said after the race. “We are very happy.”

Uganda Finally appeared on the medals table for the first time in 16 years.

In just two hours, eight minutes and eleven seconds, Stephen Kiprotich sealed his place in world sports history on Sunday ending Uganda’s 40-year wait for an Olympic gold medal.

Kiprotich at the age of 23 became only the second Ugandan to win an Olympic medal after John Akii-Bua in Munich 1972.

Kiprotich kept a keen eye on the Kenyan counterparts. It was more than 4km to go that he timed for a bend to overtake his rivals.

The lot behind him would never reach the Ugandan athlete until he touched the tape and with the Ugandan flag draped on him.

Quick facts

Full name: Stephen Kiprotich
Races: (3,000m, 3,000m Steeplechase, 5,000m, 10,000m, Cross-country and marathon)

Place of birth: Kapchorwa, Uganda

Date of birth: 27-02-1989

Weight: 54kgs

Personal Bests

3000m 7:48.06

3000m steeplechase 8:36.2

5000m 13:23:70

10,000m 28:00.9

Marathon 2:07.12

Oscar Pistorius will be the first double amputee runner at the Olympic Games after being picked by South Africa for the 400m at London 2012.

Pistorius was born in Johannesburg and had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old because of a congenital condition that meant he was born without lower leg bones.

The 25-year-old has also been picked for the 4x400m relay squad.

“Today is truly one of the proudest days of my life,” said Pistorius, who will also compete in the Paralympics.

“It is a real honour and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together.”

Pistorius appeared to have missed the chance of competing in the individual 400m after he narrowly failed to clock the ‘A’ standard time for a second time as required by South Africa’s Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).

But his inclusion in the relay team opened up his chance to also race in the individual event.

“As I have said many times before, we are not taking passengers to London,” said Sascoc president Gideon Sam.

“Everyone has met selection criteria and are genuine Olympic Games material, either now or for 2016. I wish them all the best.”

Yohan Blake upset reigning Olympic champ Usain Bolt by winning the 200 metres in 19.80 seconds at the Jamaican Olympic Athletic Trials on Sunday, just two days after beating him in the 100 metres.

It was the latest clash between the two Jamaican stars ahead of the London Olympics, where Bolt’s supremacy in the sprinting world appears to be in danger.

Bolt finished second in 19.83 while Warren Weir also earned a ticket to the London Games by finishing third.

“I have been working hard and am seeing it paying off now,” Blake said.

“I was not surprised by the big win. I know what Bolt has to offer and I know he was not at 100 percent. I just tried to keep my form.”

Blake had won his 200m semi-final in 19.93 seconds on Saturday to set up another finals showdown with Bolt, who took his semi-final race in 20.26.

Blake produced his first upset of the weekend and one of the biggest in the sport this year by beating Bolt in Friday’s 100m final with a time of 9.75 seconds, becoming the fourth fastest man ever in the event.

Bolt, the 100m and 200m Olympic champ and world record holder, was second in 9.86 seconds after a poor start and Asafa Powell was third in 9.88 seconds.

“I can’t train for one person,” Bolt said on Sunday. “No one was talking about Blake and see what he did.”

Bolt says he now has plenty to prove heading into the Olympics and vowed to come back from these defeats.

“I am the Olympic champion and I have to show the world I am the best,” Bolt said. “I will always make a comeback. It is not like I was blown away. I know what I need to do to get it right.”

Blake ran the world-leading time on Sunday in the 200m but he did not beat his personal best of 19.26 which he set in September 2011.

Neither Blake nor Bolt have committed to running both sprints in London, saying they will leave the decision up to their Jamaican coach Glen Mills.

Blake said he was not surprised by the weekend results, adding he “worked hard” to get in top form.

Bolt is confident he can get up to speed with an accelerated training regime leading up to the Summer Olympics. It’s all about work and just needing to get my things together and get it right,” Bolt said. “I got to get in the work and figure out what I did wrong.

“I have to work hard to get ready for the Olympics. I think I am a little bit weak but three more weeks should be good enough to get back into shape.”

Spain has crashed Italy 4-0 goals. the fourth goal for spain was scored by Juan Mata. The third goal scored in the 84 minute of the second half was kicked into the Italian net by Torres.

This is the first time there’s been two or more first half goals in a EURO final since 1976.

The fist goal was sunk into the Italian net by David Silva. The second goal was scored by Jordi Alba in the 41st minute as his first senior international goal.

The full-back received a perfect through pass from Xavi Hernández and sloted the ball past the onrushing keeper.

Meanwhile, Silva (Spain) has been penalised for a foul on De Rossi (Italy)

The defending champions Spain are facing Italy in the final of Euro 2012 at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium.

Italy are four-time world champions.

Italy manager Cesare Prandelli earlier said that Spain will be the favourites when the two countries meet in the Euro 2012 final.

The Barcelona midfielder Xavi said, “We’re in a great generation of players and we have a great opportunity to make history. This is our chance.”

Having defeated Germany four years ago, Spain, who overcame the Netherlands to win the World Cup in 2010, will become the first team to retain the European Championship if they beat Italy tonight.

IGIHE will keep you updated.

South Africa will host host this year’s Champions League T20 tournament. South Africa was chosen by cricket chiefs meeting in Kuala Lumpur today (Tuesday).

The fourth edition of the club Twenty20 tournament will be held in October in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Centurion and Durban, the ESPNCricinfo site reported.

Sundar Raman a member of the tournament’s technical committee said on twitter, “South Africa will host CLT20 this year. All other details to follow soon.”

Last month India invited Pakistan’s domestic champions Sialkot Stallions to join the Champions League, in what was considered a breakthrough towards the resumption of sporting ties between the two countries.

It will be the second time South Africa has hosted the event, which has also been held twice in India. The tournament is a joint initiative between India, South Africa and Australia.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the International Cricket Council’s annual conference, which is taking place this week in the Malaysian capital.