News Star newspaper

True confession
I don’t deserve my gold – Tim Montgomery

Ayo Bada
Disgraced former world record holder Tim Montgomery said he took testosterone and human growth hormone before the Sydney Olympics, and does not deserve the gold medal he won in the 400-meter relay.
The admission was made during an interview on Tuesday night on HBO television.
"I have a gold medal that I'm sitting on that I didn't get with my own ability," Montgomery said in the interview.
"I'm not here to take away from anybody else's accomplishments, only my own. And I must say, I apologize to the other people that was on the relay team if that was to happen."
Montgomery never tested positive for drugs, but he was banned from track for two years and his world record in the 100 was erased after he was linked to the BALCO doping investigation. He retired after the ban was imposed in 2005.
He did not say in the interview when or how often he had taken testosterone; just that he had done so before Sydney . He also said he took HGH four times a month.
"If Tim Montgomery cheated at the games, then he should step forward and voluntarily return his medal, just as others from the 2000 team have done," Darryl Seibel, spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said.
"By using a banned substance, any result he achieved is tainted.
"He has a responsibility to his sport, to the athletes against whom he competed in Sydney and also to the new generation of track athletes who are doing their best to compete the right way and put problems like this in the past."
How Montgomery 's admission might affect his teammates is not clear. Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams, Brian Lewis, Maurice Greene and Kenneth Brokenburr were the other members of the 400 relay team.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken a tough stance toward doping, stripping entire relay teams of their results and medals if even one member is found to have cheated.
The U.S. men's team that won the 1,600 relay in Sydney had to give up its medals after Antonio Pettigrew admitted doping.
The IOC also vacated the victory by the U.S. women's 1,600 relay team in Sydney and the third-place finish of the 400 relay squad because Marion Jones, Montgomery 's former girlfriend, had doped.
"This is an example of the far-reaching consequences of cheating," Seibel said. "The integrity of sport must be preserved, even if that means invalidating results and forfeiting medals."
Montgomery also said in the interview that he signed a $98,000 shoe contract with Asics while still in college, a violation of U.S. college sports governing body NCAA's rules.
Montgomery is currently in prison after being convicted of check fraud and heroin trafficking.
The sprinter is serving a 46-month sentence for helping his former coach, Olympic champion Steve Riddick, and others cash $1.7 million in stolen and counterfeit checks. He then must serve five years for selling heroin to an informant. That arrest came while Montgomery was awaiting sentencing on the check fraud charge.
“I made the bed, so I'm going to lie in it," Montgomery said in the HBO interview. "Why did it take this? That's the question I wake up to every day and go to sleep to.”

Onyemezie: Nigeria ’s youngest  referee

Omooba Risawe

Chidiebere Desmond Onyemezie is a 13 year old Junior Secondary School (JSS) student, who at that tender age has chosen the football refereeing job with passion, and today his dexterity on the profession has made him to be household name in the round leather game, as well as within the rank and file of the nation soccer ruling body.
Onyemezie, who had three years training as soccer umpire, has since 2006 qualified as Grade 3 Referee.
In a chat with News Star during the just concluded Nigeria Union of Journalists {NUJ} Media Games held in Abuja , the Federal Capital Territory {FCT}, where he served as Assistant Referee, Onyemezie said he has passion for the job.
The growing up FIFA rated referee was able to exhibit his skill and dexterity to the players as well as spectators at the finals of the soccer match between Zone G, and E of the Union .
The no-nonsense kid referee attributed his love for the whistle blowing job, to the skill of his father, who himself is a qualified referee.
“I have always been going out with my father whenever he is to officiate a match, hence, I was motivated by his performances and skill on the pitch, and I made up my mind to emulate him and also become a qualified referee”
News Star gathered that he has officiated various football matches including competitions organized by the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria {YSFON} and many leagues across the country.
Speaking further the Ibo born student of a school in Apo, Abuja said he started officiating football matches after his qualification as a Grade 3 referee.
He however said he will not allow the whistle blowing job affect his academics, just as he said that, the age and adult levels of footballers during matches had and cannot be a threat to him in carrying out his officiating roles.

APCON wins NAS Cup

Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) have emerged winners of the final of the football competition marking the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Advertising Service (NAS) Limited.
APCON beat LASAA (Lagos Signage and Advertising Agency) 2-0 in the final decided last Saturday at the practice pitch of the University of Lagos .
From the first blast of the referee’s whistle the Iganmu Boys clearly showed their superiority over their opponents, who booked their place in the final following the disqualification of Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) in the semi final match.
APCON scored the first goal in the 25th minutes through Ayo Oyeniyi. They added the second goal mid-way into the second half through Gbenga Fashakin.
Goalkeeper Abideen Fujah, saved the LASAA boys from total rout with excellent saves that ensured the goal deficit remained moderately low.
Before booking their passages to the final, APCON had beaten AAAN (Advertising Agencies Association of Nigeria) 4-0 while LASAA lost 1-2 in the semi final matches played two weeks at the same venue.
With their victory, APCON won a glittering gold cup and medals as well as cash prize which the organizers have promised to give out during the company’s Gala Nite slated to hold on Saturday 29, 2008 at the Magnolia Hall inside City Mall, Onikan, Lagos .

Olympiad: Togun impresses chess pundits

Nigeria’s board one player, Folusayo Togun, was one of the major attractions of the matches played when she achieved a significant win over highly rated Mexican International Woman Master, Esquivel De Leon Aurora (2037) in the female category of the 38th World Chess Olympiad tournament.
Although Nigeria lost 1-3, the brilliant win from the young prodigy brought the nation to world lime light because the sequence of the game was severally shown on the giant screen located at the playing venue with most pundits analysing all possible variations that could have salvaged the Mexican master from defeat.
Team coach Lekan Adeyemi said the brilliant display of Togun is a pointer to abundant talents that are still available in the country if given the adequate training programme.
“There is no doubt the fact that Togun and Merit Uwa are the revelations of this Olympiad just as the trio of Charles Campbell, Bomo Kighiga and Benjamin Omorere have also proved their worth in the male tournament and this is a big pointer to us because we have several talents in abundant in the country and if they are well exposed it will create stiff competition in the national camp in the nearest future,” Adeyemi said.
Togun, played in black side of Ruy Lopez opening exploited her complete domination of  e4 square on move nine with the combination of the light Bishop and the Knight to weaken the strength of her opponent’s ragging Queen.
In the middle play exchanges, the Nigerian teenager gained a pawn and thus made the end game more simple with the exchange of all the materials and thus enabled the Kings to come out fully in the end game but when the smoke was cleared, Togun already has a pass pawn on move 38 and the International Master resigned with the crowd cheering the elated Nigerian player.
In the other games, Olympiad veteran, Rachael Dappa blundered to an early defeat against International Master Hernandez Guerrero Yadira (2228) with a loss of Bishop on move 18 without compensation while Merit Uwa who won the previous night against Barbados under estimated Mendoza Velazquez’s strong hold of the flank pawns which was the deciding factor of the match and the Nigerian, with a Rook up had to resign in the wake of the pass pawn on move 38.
In the male section, hope of winning category gold medal seems to have faded away following 0.5-3.5 loss to Luxemborg when the trio of Benjamin Omorere, Charles Campbell and Bomo Kighiga lost their games with only Adegboyega Adebayo able to salvage a draw for the country.
While Omorere had a early loss to International Master Fred Berend (2345) Kighiga failed to exploit a possible draw against FIDE Master Serge Brittner while Campbell was in no way near the complete domination of Christian Jeitz (2251) in another early game.
Nigeria, with the result has dropped out in the main team and individual board order but still very much in the race for category medal ranking.

Nigeria 2009: FIFA proffers solution

Nigeria’s plan to successfully host the Under-17 World Youth Championship (WYC) will today receive the boost of the world football governing body, the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).
FIFA president, Joseph Sepp Blatter and General Secretary, Jerome Valcke, are expected meet with Nigeria ’s delegation in view of demands by the Nigeria government that the international federation provide some support towards a successful hosting of the championship.
“Yes, the meeting is holding in Zurich , headquarters of FIFA and it is to harmonise issues over the hosting of the championship next year.
“There is no doubt that we are hosting the championship but in view of demands by the Nigeria government that made the budget of the championship reduced from N39 billion to N9 billion, FIFA needs to clear the air in areas of support to the government,” said media officer of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Demola Olajire.
According to him, Nigeria ’s supervising Minister of Sports, Alhassan Bako Zaku, FIFA member, Dr. Amos Adamu and Director of Organisation for the championship, Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba are expected to represent Nigeria at the meeting.
It will be recalled that Nigeria was handed the hosting right last year but the country, last month submitted a letter to FIFA that it would no longer be able to host as a result of the astronomical cost.
However, following a public outcry and a scaling –down of the cost, the government of Umar Musa Yar’Adua made a u-turn, and said it would host.
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has since then been placed under the office of the Vice President, Mr Goodluck Jonathan.
“ Nigeria will still host the tournament but FIFA wants clear –the –air talks on the championship and to harmonize the issues with a mission to forge a way ahead,” Olajire added.