Preview of SOYA Awards for Year 2007

Drums roll......and the winner is......
No let's start first with my trouble trying to secure an invitation. It was rough road coming but let's just say I found my way there. I almost got into a hitch when an earlier engagement took my time but to get to the Awards, I had to !
The theme for this year had appropriately been picked as Embracing Peace given the upheaval the country faced in the aftermath of the disputed elections.
Coming in late, meant I missed most of the niceties and introductions ( need I say the 3-course meal set out for invited guests....these guys sold the drinks...no freebies here). But I was in time to find Uncle Moody finishing up his speech which really touched the emotional side of most people. Michael Joseph -Safaricom CEO who followed him almost had his handkerchief rolled out, as I could have sworn he broke a tear.
But the night belonged to the champions ( as the famous song by Queen goes)!
Jason Dunford was the Men's Sports Personality of the Year while Janeth JepKosgei took the ladies award. No suprises as both athletes exceed their own expectations last year and are already gearing up for this year's championships. Jason couldn't make it and had his father and mum pick the award for him while Janeth looked stunning in an evening dress and her ever-charming smile. Each collected a cheque of Kshs. 125,000
Other Winners:
Team of the Year (male) : Kenya Rugby Sevens squad (cheque of Kshs. 125,000)
Team of the Year (female): Junior Team ( Cross-Country) "
Most Promising Athlete (male): Asbel Kiprop- Athletics( cheque of Kshs. 50,000)
Most Promising Athlete (female): Ruth Bosibori- Athletics "
Sports Federation of the Year: Kenya Motor Sports Foundation ( cheque of Kshs. 100,000)
Community Hero/Heroine: Tecla Loroupe (cheque of Kshs.75000)
Special Category (male): Ibrahim Tabei- Athletics (cheque of Kshs.50000)
Special Category (female): Betty Cheruiyot-Athletics( similar cheque)
Hall of Fame : Paul Wekesa ( did I have foresight on this or what? Check SportsKenya's other feature on the right-hand side)
Interesting Tid-bits:
Among the invited guests was former Nigerian footballer- Daniel Amokachi and SuperSport's personnel ( who also covered the event).There were also a host of local leading sports personalities but I guess with the postponement of the event twice, the international guests were a bare minimum.
David Okeyo- Athletics Kenya Secterary General did his good runs up and down the podium as he collected trophies on behalf of his athletes who were said to be training for upcoming events. I counted and the guy never sat for more than 5 minutes after the presentations begun.
Patricia Mbatia of Multi-Choice Africa ( Supersport) was also in the house but more at the background never venturing near the distinguished guests table. She looked great ( wonder whether it's the Complete Make-over Competition won on 98.4 Capital FM's station which I thought was skewed)
Bernard Otieno who had hosted the event well goofed by asking Michael J to name the 2nd runner up instead of the winner for the male category & capped it by saying the event was for the year 2006. Guess it was the wine acting up after his spending time at the hidden corner.
Jason Dunford's dad summed it up well while picking his son's award by saying;

let's (Kenyans) recognise and appreciate our diversity because it is our strength and let's not call the colour of our skin or region

Words of a true champ !

March 2008 -Main Highlights

The year started a bit too fast for some of us and the lack of blogs articles and comments can clearly attest to this.
All the same, we seem to be catching on well and hope that this year will be one memorable year in some of the sports events lined up. Let's take a quick tour on the month of March;
Soccer:
UEFA Champions League :Knock-out Rounds and Quarter-Finals
English FA: Quarter-finals for the FA Cup as the Premiership League continues
Other European Leagues: Spanish La Liga, German's Bundesliga, French Ligue 1 to name but a few reach some crucial stages as this being as European Nations Cup year, most of these will end earlier than usual.
Tennis:
Dubai Open takes place with some good prize money is enticing. Trust the Arab emirs to pull a fast one as they attract more and more crowds to the desert dunes transformed to paradise on Earth.
Athletics:
The World Indoor Championships start in Valencia,Spain from 7th - 9th.
The 30th IAAF World Cross Country Championships take place in Edinburgh on the 30th
Motorsport:
Rallying:
Argentine Rally on the 27th
Formula 1:
The supremacy battles start all over again between the two main teams on the 16th March 2008 in Australia, Melbourne and a fortnight later on 23 March at Malaysia, Sepang's track to be held under floodlights -a first for Formula One. Ferrari will hope to retain its title while McLaren will try get Hamilton to get his first championship
Motorcycle:
The rounds move to Qatar on 9th and onto Spain on the 30th
Golf:
From tomorrow, 6th - 9th the European Challenge Tour: Tusker Kenya Open, Karen Golf Club, Nairobi, Kenya. This has been a good round for golfers hoping to move to the more lucrative PGA Tour. It has hosted such greats as Seve Ballestros-Spanish great.
Rugby:
Bamburi Rugby Super Series is on after Bamburi pledged to continue supporting it at a tune of Kshs.9 million.
6-Nations rounds continue with Ireland v Wales ,Scotland v England and France v Italyfacing off this weekend and the ties change to England v Ireland, Italy v Scotland, and Wales v France on the 15th

SOYA Awards 2007

As we regain our normalcy in the sporting world, it won't have a better platform to have this year's Sports Personality of the Year Awards staged in Nairobi in a week's time ( March 12th).
This year has so far seen all major disciplines affected and more so athletics since a large percentage of our athletes come from the Rift Valley province. As I write Athletics Kenya had thought of relocating of the training camp for the forthcoming World Cross-Country Championships due to be held in Edinburgh on March 29th. This is telling of how dire the situation had become but much hope is restored as security improves in most parts of the country.
Back to the SOYA Awards, this year's has seen some interesting partnerships emerge with SuperSport ( Multi-Choice-Kenya) making a big impact and hoping to continue supporting sports in Kenya. This is crucial to the firm which has seen much of turf attacked by GTV and thus repositioning and more presence clearly ought to be of good than harm.
Last year's awards were held at the KICC where the then VP handed out most of the prizes and promised the Government's support in sports and its development. I think this needs to echoed even louder this year given the strife and tensions that arose in the last 2 months. We're desperately in need of positive vibes and common bonds which sports gladly offers.
Way to go FineTouch Communications for organising such a worthwhile event ! See you there at the KICC Plenary Hall.
Here are some of the Nominees for the Awards;
SOYA - Nominees - 2007
1. SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR - WOMEN
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Cheptil Girls High School Volleyball
World Junior Cross Country Athletics
Telkom Kenya Hockey
Prisons Volleyball Team Volleyball
KPA Basketball

2. SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR- MEN

NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Sevens Rugby Rugby
National Volleyball Volleyball
A.M.U. Team Motorsport
Kcb Rugby Rugby
G.S.U Volleyball

3. SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Luke Kibet Athletics
Samuel Wanjiru Athletics
Jason Dunford Swimming
Martin Lel Athletics
Dixon Wamwiri Tae Kwondo

4. SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Catherine Ndereba Athletics
Milka Akinyi Tae Kwondo
Vivian Cheruiyot Athletics
Janeth Jepkosgei Athletics
Dorcas Ndasaba Volleyball

5. MOST PROMISING - MEN
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Gilbert Kibet Tennis
Asbel Kiprop Athletics
Alex Obanda Cricket
Mathew Kisorio Athletics
Frank Wanangwe Hockey

6. MOST PROMISING - WOMEN
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Ruth Bosibori Athletics
Mercy Kosgei Athletics
Lynette Masai Athletics
Nerica Kuguru Hockey
Mercy Moim Volleyball

7. HALL OF FAME
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Paul Wekesa Tennis
Robert Wangila Boxing
Steve Mucheru (Deceased) Golf
Wilson Kiprugut Chumo Athletics

8. SPECIAL CATEGORY (WOMEN)
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE

Betty Cheruiyot Athletics
Kanini Nduu Special Olympics
Zipporah Kiptogum Special Olympics
Mary Nakumicha Paraplegic

9 SPECIAL CATEGORY (MEN)
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Isaac Njoroge Special Olympics
Abraham Tarbei Visually Impaired
Henry Kiprono Kirwa Visually Impaired
Mbatha Kimanthi Special Olympics
Gabriel Ouma Ojaje Wheelchair

10. FEDERATIONS / ASSOCIATIONS
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Kenya Rugby Footbal Union Rugby
Kenya Motorsports Foundation Motorsports
Kenya Swimming Federation Swimming
Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Multi-Discipline
Kenya Lawn Tennis Association Tennis

11 COMMUNITY HERO
NAME SPORTS DISCIPLINE
Tegla Loroupe Athletics
George Mureu Tae Kwondo
Godfrey Okotti Football
Chris Makokha Football
Musa Otieno Football

Kenyan Football Charade

It never feels good when you wish the inevitable doesn't happen but it does. Fate has a way of playing serious games with our lives but then again, I'm no player but the pawn too.
KFF and the on going charade of non-payment of fees leaves the Kenyan representatives to Africa's equivalent of the lucrative Champions League, Africa Cup Winners Cup which is nowadays called CAF Champions League. The reps, Tusker FC were forced to cancel their opening game last weekend owing to non-payment of fees owed to CAF amounting to arnd Kshs. 455000 (US$6500) !
Funny enough, Tusker FC had hosted their opponents Eritrea's Al Tahrir for close to a week with total expenses totalling around KSh.5 million ( approx. US$ 72000). Do your maths and see the logic in hosting a team and preparing hard on the pitch only for the game to be cancelled.
I hate sounding like some broken record but we didn't expect any miracles from the officials perceived to be heading the KFF, honestly I can't tell who runs what and which official heads which department. They keep changing the scene with one team of officials claiming legitimacy ( almost like our politicians....) and others waving the FIFA wand.
What bothered me was the Tusker FC management and Tusker Sports division. This was a clear show of lack of co-ordination and initiative. I thought they had professionals run these organisations, but then again this is Kenya where even the perceived pros do a lousy job especially in sports( remember Maina Kariuki & his Powerpoint presentations when seeking office 10 years ago?). To make it worse, the sports director at Tusker Sports one Mr. Patrick Naggi , who coincidentally doubles up as the KFF Technical Director of Football kept making conflicting statements about the game up until the last minute. ( Btw,Tusker FC coach is also the national team's head coach...is this monopoly or what?). Sadly there were some fans who even showed up without prior knowledge.
REVOLUTION + MIRACLES !
What role does FIFA play in all this ? One day, they announce funds available for FIFA Goal Project and the next we have officials who are hardly ever seen messing the game.
Some local rumour has it that this is a turf war between CAF's supremo Issa Hayatou and FIFA's Sepp Blatter. Since they never see eye to eye, the local federation can offer a nice tug-and-play for their proxies. And in effect you might see a whiff of the same since some officials seemed to know the non-payment of the fees but somehow waited for some leeway from FIFA which didn't say a word and had to follow CAF's lead.
Now chances of Kenya being a strategic partner in the FIFA World Cup 2010 seems to be slimmer by the day. What with the crisis that happened, we really do not need any shocks to the system. But with such goons for officials, we're be headed straight for the dogs and the scraps and bones thrown at us.
Can anyone out there lend me a spaceship or something ? What happend to the Moon tourism thingy? I think there are some people who urgently need that visit and may the ship breakdown up there or where ever !
SIDE NOTE:
KFF launched their website, logo and portal for the coming year. Lucky to have SuperSport on board, this would have been another failed mission. Given the crisis at hand politically, even the sports officials seem to be staggered too in development. Check it out www.kpl.co.ke

African Cup of Nations

Yes it's over and the Egyptian Pharaohs crowned Kings ( sort of double word play there!). Thanks again to small wonders of sports, my fellow countrymen were able to divert their attention from the miseries of the country's and continent's crisis. Is it me or does Africa always have to shot itself in the foot all the time? One crisis after another with almost similar patterns and similar players. International community condemns only after having served up the appetites or whipped up passions...I digress !
The Ghananians did host this event which occurs after every 2 years and this year the teams playing up were looking good. Add to that most of the European-based players had been recalled to play major roles in their teams' fortunes. Funny though the team that won has more players playing in their domestic league. What does that say of the African leagues ?
The formbook had Ivory Coast looking like the best team but that was on paper. Ghana too had been touted to give the Cup a kiss at least for the first time infront of their home fans. Some really cocked up analysts even gave the Nigerians a chance but again the game is played on the pitch not on paper.
A couple of suprises (though for me were looking good) were the Angolans who made it to the quarter-finals to be knocked out narrowly by eventual winners Egypt. Cameroonians too rode the wave and managed a Final place but they had survived long enough.
A few issues though came up for food for thought as I watched the games;
1. TV rights- from the audience available, is African football ready enough to appeal to the greater world audience ? Does it have what it takes to sell the brand to greater audiences ?
2. Frequency- does it have to be every 2 years ? That's why some of the foreign club-based coaches are not amused when their players leave training only for some to come back nursing long-term injuries.
3. Host's capabilities- the usual stories of unco-ordinated activities such passes for media players, transport, security came into play once again.
4. Endorsements- was it just me or did any one notice that Puma was like the ONLY company that had sponsored the teams playing ? From hosts Ghana, Cameroon, Angola to eventual winners Egypt. Wherefore art thou Nike, Reebok, Adidas ? Or are the games too small for your take ?
5. Youth development- except for Manucho from Angola and Zidan from Egypt and a few minor players, where the youthful players always waiting in the wings to rise to the occassion? Wasn't this the best stage to show your skills as the scouts ( and some prominent soccer personalities, was that Jose Mourinho I saw?)
6. 2010- What does this portend for South Africa which seeks to host the 2010 World Cup ? Will they manage to sort the stadia problem in time as well as the necessary infrastructure? Goodwill from fellow African countries ?

Kenya Rugby takes a quick upturn !

I'd almost posted an article a week ago to admonish our rugby players and say this or that about prevailing circumstances. Wrong move !
I'd to take appreciation and feel honoured as I saw the same guys post a hiding to top IRB 7s teams such as England and Argentina. It was not lost to some observers that they had performed dismally at the Wellington 7s in New Zealand a week earlier. Given that and the current low morale among locals due to political issues bugging the country, it was their chance to rise to the occassion.
That they did and I was so proud to see all those Kenyans abroad and other fans rally them to an amazing semi-final place against top dogs New Zealand. The fairy tale had to come to an end and they even lost the shield final. But it was not lost that these boys had given a good account of themselves.
Our boys had to endure some humiliating moments when the England team refused to share a dressing room with our brothers ( guess the activities of December were still vivid to some of those who had watched machete-wielding men run around parts of Kenya on the TVs).
In my small humble opinion, I'd say we'd need more sporting events to keep our countrymen together in these times that the country seems to hang on threads. I'll not be the pessimist but I feel the situation is still fluid. We'd be better placed to get on with nation building and get together as country. Sports does this in a magical way (am I repeating myself or something ?). I'd give examples like the Irish ( who have Protestants & Catholics swearing on each other but uniting to be nationalists during sports events), Iraq & Afghanistan where sports has helped provide some pride to their countrymen e.g. Iraq were crowned Asia Cup winners last year and for awhile the only gunshots were those of men celebrating their team's historic victory. Kenyans arise !
As for the next round in Hong Kong, godspeed patriots and keep our flag up there for the good reasons.
NB:
Kenya places 6th with 24 points on the IRB rankings just below Argentina with 24 points.

Kenya- Celebrity, Parody or Tragedy

For so long now, I had lost my muse and lacked the motivation to make any contributions on this blog. It never feels better when expecting the populace to rise beyond their primitive nature to be true patriots but again who am I taking about?
Well for those with a whole array of media-TV, radio, Net and any other information spewing tool, would know by now where Kenya is on the world map after the December debacle.
OK it maybe for the wrong reasons but my skewed thinking says it was a long time coming but for sure it had to come. While I’ll not dwell on the trivialities of what went won and what might still be going on, I’ll say it’s a time when all and sundry should sit, reflect and think seriously who we (here WE being Kenyans) are, where we are –having come through the times of our forefathers and where we maybe ( if we still exist i.e.).
I quote what an interesting speaker said sometime back, “Kenya as a country/nation has never been born. We’ve been at labour for some years now and while we may want to keep pushing the pains, nature will take its course and a time has come when we’ll either be delivered and be born or be still-born!”
Najivunia kuwa Mkenya!

BBC African Footballer of the Year

With the World Cup coming to Africa in 2010 , that's if we don't pull another TIA move-This Is Africa-we've seen the spotlight shift and shine rather brightly on what they call the Dark Continent. Enough firms have started investing in football with everything from media rights, advertising, grounds preparation already on top gear in readiness for the Big One.
This too has increased the African footballers desire to play a better game. But whether this has a bearing to what will happen in 2010, I can't put a finger to it. In Europe's top leagues, the African players can be counted to be on top of their game. They lead the scorers sheet in at least 2 leagues. And some sterling performances are in place.
BBC in recognition of these efforts have decided to award the best performances.For this year 2007, there are 5 nominees who have been put forward;
1. Emmanuel Adebayor- Togo (playing for Arsenal, England currently tied top scorer)
2. Samuel Eto'o- Cameroon ( playing for Barcelona, Spain currently back from injury)
3. Michael Essien- Ghana (playing for Chelsea,England holding forte in the midfield)
4. Fredric Kanoute- Mali (playing for Sevilla, Spain ,top scorer in the League)
5. Didier Drogba-Ivory Coast( playing for Chelsea,England top scorer 2006-7 season)
The winner will be announced at a special ceremony in Accra, Ghana on February 1, after the completion of the group stages of the African Cup of Nations.
According to the BBC's website, here's some things to consider in each player's case:

1.Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor picked up where Thierry Henry left off for English Premier League side Arsenal with seven goals for the Gunners in the first three months of the season.


2.Despite hardly playing in 2007, Samuel Eto'o has been chosen as the face of the 2010 World Cup and has taken a leading role in the fight against racism in football. He's also been consistent in front of goal despite his frequent injuries in the last 2 seasons. He's not been as active though for Cameroon, they who were bundled out of the World Cup qualifiers by Ivory Coast.

3. Michael Essien was rewarded for his performances with a new five-year contract at Chelsea, and Ghana coach Claude Le Roy has declared Essien's talent to be "from another planet".
He's reputed to have very strong lungs covering the grounds with much gusto. Some coaches says he covers more ground on the pitch than some lawn mowers. He's also reputed to have a powerful left shoot. He's also got a good physical presence which helps the team defensively. This was evident in the last matches of last season where some defenders were injured.




4. Fredric Kanoute, the Malian who's been quite consistent for the Sevilla squad, aiding it to 2 UEFA Cups and a vital 2nd round qualification to the UEFA Champions League in its first try. He's also been instrumental for the national side and helping them qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.


5. Didier Drogba-the man most people love to hate- he who led Chelsea to the 2nd place position behind Man United in the English Premier League and a Carling Cup too for 2006-7 season. He who wears a bad hairstyle and loves tormenting defenses with his quick flash moves and headers. He's also a tad bit quick to land on his knees when challenged physically.



Acknowledgments: BBC, Roadto2010final.blogspot.com

Another Volleyball legend passes on

In this time and age, we so often forget our heros and heroines and Kenya is not exception. The glory days of our volleyball ladies team didn't start in the 2000s as some of the more ardent fans are worn to think. There were talented ladies who bore the brunt and sacrificed a lot by taking the burden of being the forerunners of a game hitherto dominated by their male counterparts. We do remember Lucy 'Fataki' Kamweru, the late Violet Baraza who passed on early this year. Another of this pioneers lay to rest 10 days ago in the US.
She was Doris Wefwafwa. She helped the team in the 1990s taking them as team-captain to the Harare All-Africa Games-1998,having impressed earlier in Cairo in 1991, and also playing a major role in continetal championships for both the national team and club (she played for Kenya Pipeline).
As one of the blogger on Mashada.com would say,
Luwefe Doris Wefwafwa ! RIP omkhana wefwe , simanyire tawe

Big 4 face up this weekend

For all you English football fans, this is one weekend you've been waiting for. It gets better for most since all the 4 teams are where they ought to be albeit not in the order which one may want his/her team placed.
1st placed Arsenal vs 3rd Chelsea:

Going by the week-by-week games, this will be a hard nut to crack for the Gunners. Coming from a loss(against Middlesborough), draw(with Newcastle) and narrow win(over Aston Villa) in the last Premiership games, they ought to work even harder for them to stay at the top. Things are made easier by the fact that their chief protagonist Cesc Fabregas might be sitting out on this one. The other midfielder, Aleksander Hleb is also a doubt for the game. The consolation though is the front line is fully loaded with the pacy Van Persie back from injury and the on-&-off Adebayor hoping to add to his tally of 9 goals (leading scorer-jointly with Cristiano Ronaldo- as of this weekend's games).Playing at home too might be a boon since they haven't lost a Premiership game there this season.
Chelsea on the other hand have been on the trot since last losing their rather flamboyant coach Mourinho and their only loss so far in September (to Man United). They have grown stronger and have shown stability and more class than they had last season. From a lowly 9th place to 3rd is not easy going into the December fixtures which I believe make or break any serious title contenders. They also have no serious injury problems except for their talisman Drogba (who's always tormented the back-line on the big games). The other worry too is the suspension of one Michael Essien who scored a cracker of a goal last season in the fixture of its kind. They have won against Derby, Sunderland and West Ham.
3 players maybe facing their former colleagues in the form of William Gallas & Lassana Diarra (formerly Chelsea) and Ashley Cole (formerly Arsenal).
Final Score:
A win ( 2-1) - tricky though I can't say which team.

2nd placed Man United vs 4th Liverpool:

This is one that might see a few cards flying. Being two sides which would hope to make their title race realistic, it might be a more tense game and thus the close contest.
First up, Manchester United: Coach Alex Ferguson said not so long ago that this is the best side he has coached and almost agree with him on that. Having the trio of Rooney at the front, Ronaldo backing it up from the midfield and Owen Hargreaves playing defensive and provider when necessary, you have a good run. To make it worse, there are threats in Tevez, Nani, Anderson and the evergreen Ryan Giggs. They have enjoyed a good run with the only blip being a draw to Arsenal and a loss to Bolton in November. They have been on some rampage of sorts winning by 3-4 goals per game ever since.
In Cristiano Ronaldo they have the highest scorer in the Premiership (jointly with Adebayor).
Liverpulitans never walk alone...as they so often tell us . They have had a bumpy ride along the way but they keep coming back at you. As one of my friends keep saying this 'rotation' policy of one Rafa Benitez seems to work when all the chips are down. We saw them do it in Europe twice ( and even qualifying the knock-out stages of this year's Champs League was not a foregone conclusion). The team has some comfort of not having serious injury threats though Xabi Alonso would have been a good bet for the long shots to goals Liverpool. They also have the brutish play that seems to destabilise 'pretty-played football' by the other teams. They would use this to good effect. They lost their unbeaten streak a week ago to Reading but that ought not to be a factor here. Steve Gerrard and Peter Crouch ought to lift them on this but you can't wait for this all the time.
Final Score:
Another 2-1 game but again it would go either side.
When all's said and done, this weekend's fixtures will pretty much determine who stays where in the top 4. But am almost sure the positions will change come Monday morning.
News Flash:
English Football Association agrees to appoint Fabio Capello- 61 year old former Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan. He has won major trophies with these clubs including the more recent Primera Liga ( Spanish League with Real). He is bound to agree to a 6.5 million pounds per year for a period to be decided. This ought to be clear by the close of business today Friday the 14th of December.

Pretty Boy Floyd proves who's the best

Coming in late in my entries, I still had to share my few words with you. It's been awhile since I watched a live boxing match. Thanks to satellite TV and also my good friend who could afford to accommodate me for the night ( FYI the match started at 7.15 a.m. and not at 5.00a.m. as they had advertised on this side of the world).
My friends and I had been busy checking out the accolades of the two boxers and some had even admitted Floyd Mayweather would be getting his first defeat.They were going for a 12-round fight with a points decision going Ricky Hatton's way.
I begged to differ given the ferociousness of both fighters. Though they had never met, I had this gut feeling it would be a knock-out probably by the 8th-10th round. Well, let's just say it look about that same time to entertain us.
Touted "Undefeated" by the promoters Golden Boy Promotions headed by Oscar de la Hoya-he who was sorted by Floyd M in May this year & Mayweather Promotions, this fight needed exactly that hype to get us waking up at some ungodly hours.

Going into the fight, Floyd had 38 wins ( 25 KOs; 0 losses & 0 draws) with Ricky Hatton 43 wins ( 32 KOs; 0 losses and 0 draws). One boxer had to give in. True to form, in the first 2 rounds Hatton showed why he's called the Hitman with quick hits that made Mayweather wobble in the 1st round. He kept pushing him to the ropes,but I guess Mayweather had read Mohamed Ali's biography from some place.
He kept using the ropes until the 5th round tiring the Hitman and stopping him on his punches as he tried to finish the fight. Come the 7th and the English fans who had been rude to boo the national anthem were almost silent as Mayweather landed some decisive jabs. If it were to end then, the points were weighing heavily against the Englishman.
On round 8, Mayweather almost finished the fight with 3 punches repeatedly on Hatton but he luckily spiralled out of this one. But on the 10th round out of the blue, Mayweather showed his flair by throwing his dreaded left hook and landed it right. Hatton went sprawling to the corner & hit the guard which might have had its added effect.
After the countdown, Hatton tried to come back but Mayweather knew he had the fight and finished the job, with a combination of punches. The referee jumped to Hatton's rescue and I bet I saw a towel thrown in from Ricky Hatton's corner right about that same time. You'd have cut through the middle of the silence from the English fans.
I found it honourable that Floyd rushed to Hatton's corner to console him and was even gracious and praising his opponent in the post-match comments. However Hatton was just missing his words and said that he was beaten right, but not from the best of them.
But as Floyd said, he has won the fight having won through 5 different weight categories and needs nothing else to prove his worth.
• Super Featherweight title;1998-2001
• WBC Lightweight title;2001- 2003
• WBC Super Lightweight title; Won in 2005,
• Won IBF and vacant IBO Welterweight titles 2006
• Retained IBO and won IBA and WBC Welterweight titles 2006
• Won WBC Super Welterweight title, which waslater vacated-2007
• Retained WBC Welterweight title-2007

To crown it he said that, he won't let boxing retire him but rather he will retire from boxing.
Interesting Facts:
> A single ticket for the fight was worth at least US$2500 ( approx Kshs. 160000)
> The boxer is currently referred to as the world's best pound-for-pound boxer having gone through the different weight categories.
> Floyd Mayweather's earnings for the fight were approx. US$ 15 million ( much less than the US$ 32 million earned during his fight with Oscar de la Hoya).
> His father, Floyd Mayweather, Sr., was a former welterweight contender (when not in jail) One of his uncles, Jeff Mayweather, is a former IBO super featherweight champion,while another still was a former two-division world champion Roger Mayweather, is Mayweather, Jr.'s current trainer.
Useless Fact
With Ricky Hatton being beaten, Liverpool and Arsenal 2 of the ONLY English Premiership sides not to be beaten lost with 1-3 to Reading and 1-2 to Middlesborough respectively.

SOYA attracts sizeable nominations

The 5th edition of the Sports personality Of the Year Awards have attracted at least 500 nominations for the different awards. This edition sees a new category referred to as the Community Hero. The lion's share of the nominations goes to athletics as usual with rugby,volleyball and swimming have some entries here and there. The categories for the awards are as follows;
Sportsman of the Year,
Sportswoman of the Year,
Sports team of the Year-men
Sports team of the Year-women
Most promising sports person-man
Most promising sports person-woman
Special category
Sports Federation/Association.
The event is organised by FineTouch Communications a firm closely associated and founded by Paul Tergat-Kenya's athletics legend. It's sponsored by among others, Safaricom, Nakumatt Supermarkets, CFC Bank, Paul Tergat Foundation to name but a few.
For more details, check www.soyawards.com

EABL add more spice to Sports sponsorship

Coming through as one of the major contributors in sport, East Africa Breweries Limited-EABL added more incentive to the sports fraternity. Major beneficiaries of this move were Rugby Safari Sevens which secured KSh.28 million, and Cricket Kenya which got KSh.7 million. Tusker FC the 2007 Kenya Football Premier League winners and next year's country representatives to the contintental challenge got KSh.15 million with players receiving a TV set each for their exploits. Not on the list though was any sponsorship for the football national team which seems not attract any monies.
The total bounty for the EABL sponsorship totals KSh.390 million up from KSh.330 million put through 3 years ago. This has seen EABL through various flagship products such Tusker, Tusker Malt Lager, White Cup, Malta Guinness make sports a reality to disciplines such as athletics,volleyball, polo and traditional ones such as rugby,football and golf .
What can be done to some of the fringe disciplines as basketball,rowing,martial arts which have lots of potential and are seriously begging for funds ? Do we have to wait for them to perform for us to see the potential or can we be part of the build-up to that success ?
All in all,way to go EABL !

120 Million Pounds for London City

Thanks to the power of sports marketing London made a handsome amount from hosting the start of the Tour de France last year. This is from a report carried by the Newslines by SportsBusiness.com. It continues below.
An estimated one million people turned out to watch the start of the Tour de France in London this year and London's economy benefited by more than £120 million.Spectators, teams and race organisers spent an estimated £88 million while media coverage generated a further £35 million, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed as fans flocked to watch the opening ceremony, time trial and stage one on the weekend of 6, 7 and 8 July. Organisers were paid £1.5 million to hold the start in London. Talks have begun to see it return before the 2012 Olympics.
Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "The Tour has generated well over £100 million in spending and publicity, which will in turn attract more visitors and encourage the organisers of future sporting events to choose London."
It makes you see what a small sacrifice from a City can do to help launch it into money-making business. Please City of Nairobi fathers can you visit such guys and see what you can do to raise your revenue sources ? I'll offer free advice to you Mr. Town Clerk.

7s Circuit starts in Dubai

The Rugby season starts it’s 2007-8 season with the rugby 7s circuit up at Dubai, the Dubai Sevens. Coming soon after the new sponsorship by Virgin Air for the Kenyan team, this will be a good place to see what shape this form of game takes in Kenya.
Having started in the early 1990s, this has proved to be quite attractive and enjoyable to most fans which has seen it grow in leaps and bounds to have its own circuit.
Our Kenyan team has also been improving albeit slowly over the years. This year given the wealth of experience and the financial motivation ,the boys ought to bring some trophy home. Even if it’s not with this tourney, I bet it’s not far off.
For those who can catch the Dubai 7s starting this Friday onto Sunday.