Sports

Anyanacho Heads To Beirut For Last Event Before Tokyo Olympics

Published

5 years ago

June 17, 2021

Editor

Tokyo Olympics-bound Elizabeth Anyancho has departed for Lebanon to participated in the World Taekwondo G-2 ranked Beirut Open, scheduled to hold 19 – 21 June 2021 at the Stade Nouhad Naufal, in Beirut, Lebanon.

The ranked event is the last competitive event on the World Taekwondo calendar before the Olympic games kicks off next July.

22-year-old Elizabeth, who is travelling with her technical crew aboard Ethiopia airlines, will be competing in the female -67kg category.

Eleven fighters are registered to participate in the same category, including three other qualified athletes to Tokyo Olympics – former world champion, Ruth Gbagbi of Cote D’Ivoire, current African champion Hedaya Malak of Egypt and Julyana Al-Sadeq of Jordan.

Elizabeth has defeated the African Champion, Egypt’s Hedaya, at the semi-finals of the African Taekwondo Champs in Dakar a fortnight ago, before narrowly losing to the former world champion, Ruth Gbagbi in the finals of the same event.

Speaking before departure, Anyanacho promised to use the Beirut Open as the

“I have constantly improved over the past months as the Olympic got closer, and I am going to Beirut to execute the moves we have worked so hard on during training. The matches will be tough but I am ready for the challenge.”

Ranking earned at the Beirut open might include the draws that will take place at the Tokyo Olympics, given that 100% seeding will be deployed at the much-anticipated Games.

The event is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports as one of the preparatory events of Elizabeth Anyanacho, Nigeria’s first woman in 16 years to qualify for the Olympics in Taekwondo.

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Sports

Lagos Set for Star-Studded Legends Game as Diouf, Adebayor, Appiah Lead African Icons

Published

3 hours ago

November 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Africa is set for a football spectacle as some of Africa’s biggest football legends battle celebrated Super Eagles icons for the Legends Football Game on Sunday, November 8, at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Headlining the African Legends squad are former African Footballer of the Year Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Ivorian legend Didier Zokora and Ghana ex captain Stephen Appiah, whose illustrious careers left an enduring mark on the global game.

The star-studded African contingent is expected to feature alongside other celebrated names, including Ghana’s John Paintsil and Anthony Baffoe, Senegal’s Khalilou Fadiga, Burkina Faso’s Aristide Bancé, Cameroon’s Rigobert Song and Alexandre Song, Zimbabwe’s Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari, as well as South Africa’s Brian Baloyi.

They will take on Super Eagles legends from Nigeria’s iconic 1994 and 1996 squads in a special encounter celebrating three decades since Nigeria became the kings of African football.

The game is presented by Toptier Sports Management in partnership with Afreximbank and CANEX, bringing together football icons whose achievements have inspired generations of fans across the continent.

Chichi Nwoko, Founder and CEO of Toptier Sports Management, said the event would provide an opportunity to honour the legends who helped shape African football.

“These are names that every football fan in Africa knows. We are proud to bring them to Lagos to honour the heroes of 1994 and 1996,” she said.

The Legends Football Game is expected to draw fans eager to relive the magic of African football’s golden era, with gates opening at 1:30pm.

For fans unable to make it to the stadium, the match will be broadcast live from 5pm to 7pm on NTA, AIT and Silverbird.

With a galaxy of African football stars set to descend on Lagos, the city is poised for a memorable celebration of football, nostalgia and the enduring legacy of the continent’s greatest players.

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