No Olympic Show For Messi

Argentina captain Lionel Messi concedes he is disappointed he will not represent his country at the Olympic Games in Rio.

The Barcelona talisman was left out of his nation’s Olympic squad in order to take part in the Copa America Centenario, which begins on June 3 and will be held in the United States.

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino stressed that Messi, who won gold at the Beijing Games in 2008, agreed with the decision as Argentina aim to make up for last year’s disappointing Copa America final loss to Chile.

Having savoured the 2008 Olympics and the U20s World Cup in the Netherlands in 2005, Messi is frustrated to miss the event in Brazil.

“I would have liked to go because it was a spectacular experience for me to play in the Olympics, just as it was for the U20 World Cup,” Messi told ESPN.

“Not just because we won, but for the experience I gained.

“It was a great experience to stay in the Olympic Village and meet other elite athletes from other sports and to be just another athlete among them; that was very spectacular even though we didn’t spend a lot of time in the village.

“The World Cup is great but the Olympics are something special.”

Skysports

No Olympic Show For Messi

Japan Unveils Tokyo 2020 Olympic Logos

Japan’s Olympic organisers have unveiled the new official logos of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The logo, called Harmonized Chequered Emblem, replaces the first choice which was thrown out last year after the designer was accused of plagiarism.

The designer denied stealing the idea.

Organisers said the new design used traditional Japanese colours and patterns to represent the intercultural themes of the Games.

“It incorporates the message of ‘unity in diversity’,” they said, and the idea that the Games “seek to promote diversity as a platform to connect the world”.When designer Asao Tokolo found out he had won the re-opened contest he said “my mind has gone blank”.

“I put a lot of time and effort into this design as though it was my own child.”

The first design was rejected after Belgian artist Olivier Debie alleged it copied his design for a theatre logo.

The Games organising committee never agreed to the allegation of plagiarism but said there were too many doubts over the emblem for it to be used.

The logo dispute came shortly after Tokyo decided to scrap the designs for the main Olympic stadium because of spiralling construction costs.

A cheaper design, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, was chosen in December last year.

BBC

Japan Unveils Tokyo 2020 Olympic Logos

West Ham To Pay £2.5m Olympic Stadium Rent Per Year

West Ham will pay £2.5m a year to rent the 60,000-seater Olympic Stadium, it has been revealed after the deal was made public following a legal battle.

The ground’s owners, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), fought a ruling that the contract should be published, but the appeal was rejected this week.

West Ham will pay the sum per year over the 99-year lease, the 207-page document has revealed.

The Hammers move in this summer.

The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to the LLDC and Newham borough, with anything above that between the two bodies and West Ham.

The rent will be halved to £1.25m if West Ham are relegated.

The LLDC, which had spent thousands of pounds fighting the ruling, said the decision could cost the organisation “millions of pounds”.

But it has decided not to appeal against the tribunal’s ruling.

Extra payments West Ham could have to make

£1m if they win the Champions League    

£100,000 if they win the FA Cup or Europa League, or qualify for it

£250,000 if they qualify for the Champions League group stages    

£100,000 if they finish in the top five in the Premier League, with smaller payments for other positions in the top 10

The club were awarded tenancy of the London 2012 stadium in 2013, and at least £272m has been spent to convert the site for use as a Premier League ground.

West Ham have contributed £15m towards those costs. Last year a BBC documentary revealed the club was having many of the running costs of the stadium paid for it by the taxpayer under the terms of the tenancy agreement.

United will not have to pay for a range of staff including cleaners and turnstile operators. Heating and lighting costs will also be covered by the stadium managers.

A coalition of 14 supporters’ trusts from around the country submitted a Freedom of Information request to obtain that tenancy agreement and believe the deal gives West Ham, who have played at Upton Park since 1904, a competitive advantage.

West Ham say they have nothing to hide, believe it is a “great deal” for the club and the taxpayer, and say the stadium offers a true legacy.

The club added: “Someone renting the stadium for 25 days a year cannot be responsible for 365 days’ running costs.”

A coalition of 14 supporters’ groups and trusts of several different clubs campaigned for the information to be released. In a statement it said: “This is the right decision for the taxpayer, and the right decision for football.”

Credit: BBC

West Ham To Pay £2.5m Olympic Stadium Rent Per Year

Brazil Want New Coach For Olympic Games

The situation of Dunga as coach of the Brazilian national team is very uncomfortable.

Behind the scenes of the CBF, the criticism of Dunga’s work grew after the latest results of the national team.

According to the information from Globo Esporte, leaders with influence in decision making are already discussing the need to reduce the powers of both Dunga as well as team coordinator Gilmar Rinaldi.

Dunga was supposed to be in charge of the side competing in the Olympic Games this August, but an idea that gains strength now is to appoint a new coach for the tournament in Rio de Janeiro.

For the leaders, Dunga can lead the side during the Copa América Centenário in June, but wants a new name to take charge for the Olympics.

It’s important to remember that the Olympic Gold medal is the only title missing from Brazil’s trophy cabinet, and is considered much more important than the competition in United States.

The interim coach would be an outsider, and not Rogério Micale, who led the U23 side in recent matches. Brazil drew with Paraguay on Tuesday for the World Cup qualifiers, and currently sits 6th in the standings.

The new plans of CBF highlights their concern over Dunga and Gilmar, and the performances in the Copa América Centenário can decide the coach’s future with the national side.

Credit: Sambafoot

Brazil Want New Coach For Olympic Games

"Gideon Quartey Is A Liar" Bombers captain

Captain of the national amateur boxing team, the Black Bombers, Suleiman Tetteh has rubbished claims that, the team failed to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympic Games, due to their demand for per diems.

Mr. Gideon Quartey, the President of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Federations (GABF), was reported to have said that, the team failed to qualify for the competition during the qualifiers in Cameroon, because of the demand for per diem by the boxers.

Tetteh, described the claims as “total lie” saying “we never demanded for money because we knew when we qualify to the Olympic Games, we will be rewarded well, so why should we do that.

“If you see how the likes of Azumah, Musah Rahman and Abdul Rahman fought in Cameroon, you realise we wanted to qualify”, captain Sulemanu Tetteh told Starr FM in Accra

The Black Bombers have widely been criticized for their failure to secure a single berth to this year’s multi sports event in Brazil, after the sports ministry doled out $20,000 to aid their travel to Cameroon for the qualification.

Team Ghana was represented by eight male boxers with one female boxer, but none made it to the finals, making it the worse results for Ghana’s boxing history for the past 20 years.

"Gideon Quartey Is A Liar" Bombers captain

Anthony Boakye Set Sight On Olympic Qualifications Ahead Of Morocco Trip

Ghana’s medal hopeful in the ongoing African Olympic Cycling qualifications in Morocco, Anthony Boakye has set his sight on returning home with a ticket to the Rio Olympic Games.

The fastest emerging cyclist on the local scene pledged to book Ghana a place in the 2016 global showdown in the road race category.

The workaholic cyclist accepted the challenge from the North Africans in particular but has pledged to hoist the flag of mother Ghana in the tournament proper.

Boakye, leads a team of six other athletes to Morroco for the African qualifications where representatives will be chosen to represent Africa at the Rio showdown in Brazil.

The 2011 young cyclist of the year has since blossomed into one of the finest riders on the domestic terrain but has promised to widen his horizon with an Olympic ticket to match.

The much fancied Boakye confirmed his readiness to battle out any threat from his African opponents en route to his Rio dreams.

“I can confidently say I am fully prepared for the championship in Morroco. We have had enough training from last year up until now and I think we are ready to compete for tickets to the Rio Olympics.

“My target at the moment is to make Ghana and GCF proud by making it to the Olympic games. I am ready for the tough competitions from anybody that comes our way.” Boakye told sports crusader.

Anthony Boakye stormed the cycling fraternity in 2011 before earning a scholarship to South Africa where he won his first ever professional medal before heading to the Common Worlth Games.

The Sunyani based Riverpack Cycling Club athletes joins a team of five other representatives for Ghana at the Morroco championship slated for Sunday February 20, 2016.

Anthony Boakye Set Sight On Olympic Qualifications Ahead Of Morocco Trip

Ghana projects record breaking 25 athletes for Rio 2016

Ghana’s Rio 2016 Chef de Mission has projected that the country will be represented by a record-breaking 25 athletes at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio, Brasil.

Chris Essilfie, Chef De Mission of Team Ghana at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games said in an interview that “We‘re still hoping to qualify more and if there are funds to do that we could qualify more athletes to the Games”.

He added that, “After meeting with the Federation’s heads and listening to what they have on paper, it is clear we are going to qualify at least 25 athletes to the Games.”

Essilfie was confirmed as Ghana’s Chef de Mission in August of last year having been appointed to the same role at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Ghana won two bronze medals at Glasgow 2014; Razak Abugiri in the men’s 60 kilogram judo competition and Abdul Omar in the men’s flyweight boxing tournament.

The country made its Olympic debut at Helsinki in 1952 and has won a total of four medals, a silver and three bronzes.

Its last medal came at Barcelona in 1992 when its men’s football team won bronze.

Ghana won two gold medals at last year’s African Games in Brazzaville through Wisdom Na Ajdrago and George Darko in the men’s doubles tennis, and its women’s football team, who beat Cameroon 1-0 in the final.

If Chris Essilfie’s prediction comes to fruition, it will comfortably break the West African nation’s record of nine athletes sent to both Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Ghana projects record breaking 25 athletes for Rio 2016

2016 Olympic Qualifier: GABA needs $20,000 to participate qualifiers

The Ghana Amateur Boxing Federation (GABF) will need about $20,000 to participate in the qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The Black Bombers, will require the said amount to participate in the qualifiers in Cameroon from March 9-20, 2016.

Gideon Quartey, President of the Boxing Federation said the amount covers airfares, accommodation and logistics for 20 boxers, coaches coaches and other team officials for the qualifier.

He said the federation aims to qualify at least six boxers for Rio 2016 where they are expected to continue the country’s rich history of participating in the boxing competition.

Quartey said, competition provides the best opportunity for the Black Bombers to qualify for the Olympics, because the cost involved was low.

Four Black Bombers qualified for the London 2012 Olympics at the Continental qualifier in Morocco.

Ghana has won four medals at the Olympics with three of them coming from boxing.

2016 Olympic Qualifier: GABA needs $20,000 to participate qualifiers