Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 May 2026
Wednesday, 31 December 2025
Thursday, 16 October 2025
RAILA ODINGA: THE SPORTS CHAMPION AND ENTHUSIAST
The Kenyan sports community has joined millions across the nation in mourning the death of former Prime Minister and ODM leader, Raila Amolo Odinga, who passed away on Wednesday while undergoing treatment in India.
Beyond politics, Odinga will be remembered for his enduring passion for football — a sport he loved, supported, and often credited his love of the sport for helping him develop a philosophical attitude towards the rough-and-tumble world of politics.
For decades, Raila was a familiar face in stadiums across the country. Whether cheering the Harambee Stars or watching his beloved Gor Mahia, where he was the patron for a long time, in the Mashemeji Derby against AFC Leopards, he embodied the spirit of Kenyan football.
As the patron of Gor Mahia, he was not just a ceremonial figure but a genuine benefactor. Weeks before his passing, he had pledged KSh 10 million to support the club’s 2025/2026 season operations, continuing a legacy that also saw him reward the team with KSh 1 million after advancing in the CAF Champions League last year.
As the patron of Gor Mahia, he was not just a ceremonial figure but a genuine benefactor. Weeks before his passing, he had pledged KSh 10 million to support the club’s 2025/2026 season operations, continuing a legacy that also saw him reward the team with KSh 1 million after advancing in the CAF Champions League last year.
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our beloved Patron, the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga. He was a guiding light and a tremendous support to our club.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones. May he rest in perfect peace," read Gor Mahia's statement.
Odinga’s support extended to the national team, the Harambee Stars. His love for the sport transcended politics and protocol — he attended matches, encouraged players, and personally motivated them with incentives.
In August 2025, after Kenya’s victory over Zambia in the CHAN2024 tournament, he promised each player KSh 500,000, a gesture that underscored his commitment to uplifting local talent.
Beyond the local scene, Raila’s football passion stretched to the English Premier League, where he was a devout Arsenal fan.
Having once supported Manchester United, he famously switched allegiances when Arsène Wenger joined Arsenal, citing the Frenchman’s philosophy and style of play as irresistible.
Raila actively played the game during his youthful days, turning out for Luo Union FC and later Bunge FC during his tenure as Member of Parliament for Lang’ata Constituency.
His influence in sports was immortalized through the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay — a 20,000-seat arena officially completed in May 2025.
The stadium stands as a testament to his vision for nurturing sports infrastructure and youth development in Kenya.
From his animated football metaphors on the campaign trail — where he cast himself as captain and striker — to his tangible contributions to clubs and players, Raila Odinga leaves behind a legacy that blends politics, passion, and patriotism.
FKF president Hussein Mohammed mourned the seasoned politician as the local football strongest supporter, adding that his name will forever be etched among its greatest fans.
"Having had the privilege to work under him, I can say he was not only a great leader and visionary, but also a good boss and a personal friend. Kenya has lost a true statesman and local football, one of its strongest supporters."
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) hailed Raila’s contribution to the growth of the sport both on and off the field.
Notably, he has involved figurative football commentary during his political rallies.
In the commentary, he tags along his political allies as teammates, with him as the lead striker and captain.
The commentary would then climax with him beating “defenders” before scoring, much to the jubilation of his staunch supporters.
- Brian Ouma
Friday, 11 July 2025
Sunday, 1 June 2025
Friday, 2 May 2025
Monday, 21 April 2025
POPE FRANCIS WAS A CARD-CARRYING SOCCER FAN. AND A PROMOTER OF THE VALUES IN SPORTS
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| Vatican Obit Pope Francis FILE - Argentine soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona, left, greets Pope Francis in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Monday, Sept. 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) |
ROME (AP) — From meetings with Diego Maradona to the passion for his beloved Buenos Aires club, San Lorenzo, Pope Francis was an avid soccer fan. And a promoter of sports in general.
Francis died Monday at 88 and the soccer and sports world immediately paid homage.
All sports events scheduled for Monday in Italy were postponed to mourn Francis, including four top-flight soccer matches. A minute of silence will be observed before all sports events this week, the Italian Olympic Committee said.
“Italian soccer joins in the mourning of millions of people following the death of Pope Francis. He was a great example of Christian caring and dignity in the face of suffering and he was always attentive to the sports world and particularly soccer, of which he was a fan,” said Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina. “He will always remain in the hearts of the faithful and lovers of soccer.”
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| Vatican Obit Pope Francis FILE - Pope Francis twirls a soccer ball he was presented by a member of the Circus of Cuba, during his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) |
Francis’ passion for soccer became known almost immediately after he was elected pope in 2013 when San Lorenzo tweeted a photo of him holding up the club’s crest. He was even a card-carrying member of the club, with San Lorenzo ID No. 88,235.
San Lorenzo is nicknamed “the Saints.”
In Italy, there were also suggestions that Francis supported Juventus since his family came from the Piedmont region where the Turin club is based. Francis' father, Mario Bergoglio, was a basketball player.
San Lorenzo, one of the oldest teams in the Argentine Football Association, performed well after Francis was elected as the 266th pope in March 2013. The team won a national title in 2013 and then claimed the South American Copa Libertadores for the first time a year later. Club officials traveled twice to the Vatican carrying trophies to thank Francis for his support.
A planned new San Lorenzo stadium is to be named for Francis.
During a meeting with the Argentina and Italy national teams shortly after he was elected, Francis noted the influence of athletes, especially on youth, and told the players to remember that, “for better or worse” they are role models. “Dear players, you are very popular. People follow you, and not just on the field but also off it,” he said. “That’s a social responsibility.”
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| Vatican Obit Pope Francis FILE - Pope Francis blesses faithfuls as he arrives to celebrate the Mass of Assumption of Mary at Daejeon World Cup stadium in Daejeon, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, file) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) |
Francis met his fellow Argentine Maradona twice as pope. There was a special audience in connection with a charity soccer match in 2014 when Maradona presented the pontiff with a soccer jersey, emblazoned with the name “Francisco” — Spanish for Francis — and Maradona’s No. 10.
“I think we all now realize he’s a (star),” Maradona said after another meeting in 2015. “I’m Francis’ top fan.”
When Maradona died in 2020, Francis remembered the soccer great in his prayers.
Francis often hailed sports as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.
During a global conference on faith and sport in 2016, Francis implored leaders to do a better job of keeping corruption off the playing field and said sports must be protected from manipulations and commercial abuse.
“Francis was a special pope, able to illuminate in his time like only the greatest can,” Gianluigi Buffon, the former captain of Italy’s national soccer team who met the pope on multiple occasions, said on Instagram. “He showed us the way with great courage and moved our souls. I will carry his example forever in my heart.”
- ANDREW DAMPF, AP Soccer
Sunday, 29 December 2024
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
SUPER BOWL BETTING AT NEVADA SPORTSBOOKS
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| Reuters |
The value of bets placed in Nevada sportsbooks on this year's Super Bowl in Las Vegas between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers set a record, according to unaudited figures provided by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
A total of $185.6 million was wagered across Nevada's 182 sportsbooks, up from the $153.2 million wagered on last year's Super Bowl and above the previous record of $179.8 million set in 2022, the data released late on Monday showed.
Nevada sportsbooks kept a combined $6.8 million from Super Bowl bets for a hold percentage of 3.7% compared with last year when they kept $4.3 million for a hold percentage of 2.8%.
The Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, beat the 49ers 25-22 in overtime of the Super Bowl on Sunday to become the National Football League's first repeat champions since the New England Patriots in February 2005.
- Reuters
Sunday, 21 January 2024
OPINION: WHY THE THE NEWS OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S DOWNFALL HITS ME SO HARD
This was to be the year that my son graduated from Sports Illustrated Kids to the real thing. When I was a boy, I thought the magazine would always be around.
Growing up, I waited for Thursdays the way the other kids in school yearned for Fridays. On Thursdays, I knew Sports Illustrated would be waiting for me in the mail. I’d snatch every copy as if it were the last piece of bacon at a breakfast buffet, jump face-first on my blue comforter and devour it. Sports Illustrated accounted for a large percentage of all the reading I did as a kid.
Sports Illustrated accounted for a large percentage of all the reading I did as a kid.
It bewildered teachers why I wouldn’t even open "The Canterbury Tales" or "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" but would read every word of a 5,000-word opus by Frank Deford about a high school football coach I didn’t know existed or turn to Peter Gammons to learn exactly why my New York Mets hero Dwight Gooden had lost his fastball. Tom Sawyer couldn’t possibly compete.
That is why it is an absolute tragedy to hear on Friday that some 70 years after its first iconic cover, which featured future baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Matthews, Sports Illustrated may soon be dead. We are not talking about a typical reduction in talent or a decline in quality. (Layoffs have plagued the magazine in recent years. Then there was the recent scandal where Sports Illustrated was accused of using artificial-intelligence-generated stories and fake bylines and eschewing journalism for poorly worded drek around which to frame ads.) The Arena Group, which had a license from Authentic Brands Group to publish SI, is laying off a huge portion of the writers and editors. Authentic Brands Group bought the magazine for $110 million in 2019.
The magazine's union said in a statement on X that workers have been told that Arena plans to "lay off a significant number, possibly all" of the staff represented by the union.
Authentic Brands Group insists SI isn't dead: “Authentic is here to ensure that the brand of Sports Illustrated, which includes its editorial arm, continues to thrive as it has for the past nearly 70 years,” the company said in a statement, NBC News reported.
Thursday, 31 August 2023
EXCLUSIVE: OLYMPICS-DECISION ON NEW SPORYS FOR LA28 TO COME SEP. 8 - SOURCE
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| Reuters |
A decision on which new sports will be added to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics is to be revealed next week, a source told Reuters on Thursday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this week that it will hold an Executive Board meeting on Sept. 8 when, according to the source, it will take a decision on the LA28 programme.
The IOC Session would need to ratify that decision when it meets Oct. 15-17 in Mumbai.
The Executive Board consists of IOC President Thomas Bach, four vice-presidents and 10 other members whereas the Session is a general meeting of IOC members.
Friday, 4 August 2023
Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Saturday, 8 July 2023
SINGAPORE WANTS SUCCESSFUL SPORTING CULTURE, NOT SOLELY MEDALS: ERIC CHUA
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| ST |
SINGAPORE – The Republic’s goal for its investments in sports here is to broaden access to sports and facilities, while supporting its athletes and para-athletes to maximise their potential.
In doing so, the aim is to rally communities together and foster national pride and cohesion, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Eric Chua said on Thursday.
Sunday, 9 April 2023
Saturday, 12 November 2022
Friday, 9 September 2022
Monday, 22 August 2022
Sunday, 20 March 2022
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