Sports
Guinness World Record: 16 hours in, Nigerian Onakoya remains unbeaten in chess marathon
Renowned chess master, Tunde Onakoya, who commenced his mission to surpass the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon for 58 hours, has played the game for 16 hours, winning all opponents.
The event, which is underway at New York City’s iconic Times Square, started on Wednesday, April 17, and is scheduled to end on April 19.
Onakoya has emerged triumphant in all encounters so far, including his match with New York’s National Chess Master, Shawn Martinez.
A post on his X handle early Thursday read, “Tunde Onakoya beats a very worthy opponent and one of New York’s finest, National Chess Master Shawn Martinez!”
Onakoya’s manager, known as Taiwo with the X handle “OgaBoxx,” has also provided insights into the nature of the challenge.
Taiwo stated that after 15 hours of continuous play with 12 opponents, Onakoya took an accumulated break of 30 minutes, as the rules stipulate a five-minute break for every hour of play.
He added that Onakoya is playing two sets of games simultaneously and must not lose either.
He wrote, “The opponent on the first set is Shawn Martinez, a US National Chess Master, and he will play with Tunde throughout the attempt.
“Opponents in the second set are random players. He can’t lose any game on either set.
“Only Tunde’s match against Shawn Martinez is considered valid for the record. He is not competing in his simultaneous play against random opponents in the second set. NYC, come out and play regardless.”
The event has garnered significant attention and support from Nigerians abroad who came out to support the chess master.
Onakoya has also received encouraging messages from various Nigerian dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima; former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others.
The US Mission Nigeria and UK in Nigeria have also sent their best wishes to Onakoya via their respective X handles.
Sports
Committees hit the ground running for 8th Kwara State Sports Festival
The committees is entrusted with the responsibility of planning, coordinating and executing a peaceful, transparent and impactful festival involving all 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
Kwara State Sports Commission has inaugurated the Main Organising Committee (MOC), the Local Organising Committee (LOC), and 12 sub-committees to oversee the successful hosting of the 8th Kwara State Sports Festival, the state’s flagship sporting event.
The 8th Kwara State Sports Festival is scheduled to hold from August 21 to 29 at the George Agbazika Innih Stadium Complex, Ilorin, with activities commencing daily at 9:00 a.m.
The committees was inaugurated by the Executive Chairman of the Commission, who doubles as the Chairman of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), Bola Mogaji.
The sub-committees inaugurated include the Ceremonial, Publicity and Media, Technical, Security, Accreditation, Accommodation, Feeding, Venues, Power and Transportation Committees
The committees is entrusted with the responsibility of planning, coordinating and executing a peaceful, transparent and impactful festival involving all 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
Mogaji charged members of the committees to hit the ground running by working within the stipulated timeframe and developing realistic budgets that would ensure the successful achievement of the festival’s objectives.
He commended the State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for his consistent investment in sports development, noting that the approval for the staging of the 8th edition of the festival reflected the governor’s passion and commitment to the advancement of sports in Kwara State.
Sports
Katsina United player declared dead found alive in mortuary
Media officer of Katsina United, Nasir Gide, confirmed the development, saying the player had been declared dead twice before signs of life were noticed.
•Ozor Chinedu
Katsina United defender, Ozor Chinedu, who collapsed during a pre-season friendly against Niger Tornadoes at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina on Tuesday was found alive in hospital following his death report.
The 18-year-old, recently signed from Kano Pillars, slumped on the pitch in the Gusau/Ahlan Pre-season Cup and was rushed to K-Dara Specialist Hospital, where doctors reportedly pronounced him dead.
Katsina United subsequently issued a condolence statement, while clubs including Heartland and Kano Pillars mourned the player on social media.
However, in a dramatic twist, mortuary staff at Katsina General Hospital later observed movement in his body.
He was immediately transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and placed on oxygen.
Media officer of Katsina United, Nasir Gide, confirmed the development, saying the player had been declared dead twice before signs of life were noticed.
Sports
NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers to be sold for $12.5bn – Report
Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
The Los Angeles Lakers — one of the most successful teams in NBA history — are being sold to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and investor Joshua Kushner in a deal valuing the team at $12.5 billion, ESPN reported Wednesday.
The sale, which would mark a record-breaking price, comes only about a year after billionaire Mark Walter agreed to buy a controlling interest in the team in a then-record $10 billion deal.
Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Walter’s purchase, reported in June last year, ended the Buss family’s 46-year reign over the NBA giants.
The Lakers have won 17 NBA championships, second only to the Boston Celtics.The team has been home to some of the league’s biggest superstars including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant.
LeBron James, the NBA all-time scoring leader, just left the squad for the Philadelphia 76ers after spending eight years and winning one title with the Lakers.
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