“Victorious Super Falcons get heroes welcome”, this how one of the Nigerian news media outfits captions a story on the return of the Nigerian champions.
Heroes treatment my foot!
Heroes are feted and pampered, not thrown and packed into a lorry that is not is not even fit for cows like this: Continue reading…
Argentina's Gabriel Heinze (l.) celebrates with team mate Martin Demichelis after scoring the opening goal during the Argentina vs. Nigeria 2010 World Cup soccer match in Johannesburg, Saturday. Luca Bruno/AP
Losing in a soccer game is really no big deal, particularly against a world class team as the Diego Madonna-coached side. What is a big deal was the manner the game was lost: through a most uninspiring performance that lacked gusto and focus. Continue reading…
Nigeria finished its outing at the Beijing Olympics with one silver and two bronze medals. The men’s soccer team played 0-1 with Argentina at the finals.
Here is a video highlight of the match:
AfricanLoft has some additional coverage of most of the African nations at the Beijing Olympics.
Beijing Olympics: Nigeria meets Ivory Coast at the quarter-finals, and will proceed to the semi-finals. I predict.
Watch the highlights of the soccer matches:
Nigeria vs. USA
Even if Robert Mugabe continues to play dubious power games, it is not all gloomy for Zimbabwe. AfricanLoft reports in “Playing to Win in Zimbabwe: a Sit-tight Tyrant vs. Olympic Medalist“, excerpt:
The nation leads the continent with its two silver medals won by Kirsty Coventry in the Women’s 100m Back and 400m Individual Medley. Kirsty also set a new world record of 58.77 in the semi-finals of the 100m backstroke.
Togo and Algeria each has a Bronze.
Catch Africa at the Olympics, in multimedia, follow the link.
Lopez Lomong story started when he escaped from captivity in Sudan at age six. His story could have been like the unfortunate thousands of the Darfur genocide.
Lopez spent some 10 years in one of the harshest environment imaginable- a Kenyan refugee camp where he made do with a ration of one meal a day.
During the 2000 Olympics, he chose to walk five miles to watch the Michael Johnson run. He got hooked from that day on. His dream was to be an Olympian.
Fate smiled on him and he found new home in Syracuse USA, where a foster parent made a choice to raise him.
When the Beijing Olympics opened several hours ago in China, Lopez, now a professional runner, was nominated as the flag bearer for the American team.
The message is clear.
Watch CNN video footage of Lomong talk about this experience. AfricanLoft has additional coverage: