Desist From Unapproved International Competitions, NSC Warns Sports Federation.

The Director of Sports Federation and Elite Athletes Department (FEAD) of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba has warned sports federations to desist from entering for international competitions without the approval of the NSC.

He stated that the NSC’s endorsement is required for Sports Federations to enrol for international competitions, describing the action of some federations that enter for such competitions without the knowledge and endorsements of the Commission as  ‘’wrong and a breach of established sporting procedure.”

Dr. Ojo-Oba said the Commission frowns at this attitude and would henceforth consider sanctions for erring federations.

Dr. Ojo-Oba spoke in the light of the controversy that has trailed the camping of Nigeria’s volleyball team, which is preparing for an international competition. “The Commission was unaware that that they were going for any competition. As at today, we do not have any written request for funds from them,’’ he said.

He further explained that many factors determine Nigeria’s participation in international competitions. “These include available funding, sports development goals, rating of the team and others,” he said.

“Federations should not just wake up and say they are participating in international competitions. When they enter for such competitions, it is under the banner of Nigeria and so the Commission, which is the premier sports agency in the country, should be fully aware and sanction it. This is essential for proper planning.”

Turkish Sports Minister Sacked Over Corruption Probe.

Turkey's Sports Minister Suat Kılıç, a leading figure in Istanbul's unsuccessful bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, has been sacked in a Cabinet reshuffle linked to a corruption scandal.

Kılıç had been appointed as the youngest member of the Turkish Cabinet in July 2011 by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he was 38.

He has now been removed by Erdoğan and replaced by 37-year-old Akif Çağatay Kılıç, who was born in Germany before moving to Turkey with his family when he was 10 and educated at the University of Hertfordshire in Britain, where he graduated with a degree in Politics and European Studies.

The crisis had started on December 17 when dozens of people, including of the head of state-run Halkbank, were arrested on corruption charges.

Erdoğan responded by purging police investigators.

The ensuing feud with the judiciary reignited long-simmering street protests and unsettled  foreign investors.

Yesterday, three Ministers who had sons among those detained resigned.

Two of them, Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan and  Interior Minister Muammer Güler, backed Erdoğan in claiming the inquiry was a conspiracy.

But the third, Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, has claimed Erdoğan should resign.

The Prime Minister has responded by carrying out a major Cabinet reshuffle, sacking anyone he suspects of not being fully behind him.


Kılıç, a former television journalist, was a divisive figure during Istanbul's Olympic campaign, refusing to fully back it for a long period because he favoured a Turkish bid for the UEFA 2020 European Championships instead.

He also alienated several International Olympic Committee (IOC) by what they perceived to be his arrogant attitude.

The Games were eventually awarded to Tokyo.

Istanbul's bid was eventually fatally undermined by the demonstrations that started in Istanbul in May, initially as protests against  an urban development plan for Taksim Gezi Park in the city.

But they quickly spread across Turkey protesting a wide range of concerns, at the core of which were issues of freedom of the press, of expression and the Government's encroachment on Turkey's