The 21st edition of the annual squash clinic tagged ‘SQUASHTIVAL’ came to a close on Friday, August 22, 2025 at the squash courts of the ikoyi club 1938 

This year’s edition saw over 50 kids from ages 5 to 18 taken through the rudiments of squash by renowned coaches of the section 

The summer camp which served off on August 4th is in line with the squash federation of Nigeria grassroots programmes in discovering young and talented athletes both  for state and national tournaments in the future

The clinic which is organized annually to teach the kids the basic principles of the game lived up to expectation as they displayed good knowledge of the game in a tournament that followed after the training session  to the admiration of their coaches, parents and guests 

Speaking at the end of the clinic,  Chairman  Squash Section, ikoyi club 1938 , Oluwole Sojinrin expresses happiness with the turnout of the kids and the successes recorded noting that with what he saw, the future is bright for squash in Nigeria

He explained that the essence of the training is to get the kids acquainted with the fundermentals of the game which is the first step to becoming champions

” I want to say that the clinic was a huge success because from the tournament played, you’ll discover that the kids are already getting acquainted with the game and the rules and we’ll keep.on mentoring them.

” We’re also planning to be organizing biweekly training section’s for them to enable them get more use to holding the racket, hitting the ball and as well as improve their knowkeynof the sports”, he stressed.

The chairman while appreciating their sponsors and club members who made it possible for the clinic to take place, appealed to corporate organizations to key into the activities of the section to aid the growth of squash  in the country.

Head Coach of the section, Samuel Omonroseghe who has been in the business for the past 50 years commended the children for the passion and dedication shown during the course of the summer camp 

Some of the kids who took part in the clinic namely;  five year old  Emeka Eze who emerged as the most improved player of the tournament and Osinachi Ekwe all expressed happiness for the opportunity given to learn and play the game they love 

All participants got squash kits and certificates while outstanding children were rewarded with gift items 

The annual children’s squash clinic was sponsored by The George Hotel and Amala.com kitchen

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, maintained their unbeaten start to the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Championship in Angola with a commanding 87–66 victory over defending champions, Tunisia in their second group stage encounter.

The Nigerians came out firing from tip-off, producing a high-energy first quarter that left their North African opponents chasing shadows. 

A flurry of fast breaks, accurate perimeter shooting, and tight defensive work saw D’Tigers take a 29–16 lead after 10 minutes of action.

In the second quarter, the boys in green and white continued to dictate the tempo, at one point opening up a 20-point gap. Tunisia responded with a brief scoring run towards the end of the half, but Nigeria still held a solid 48–33 advantage going into the break. 

The star of the show at halftime was Josh Okogie, who had already dropped 19 points, displaying the poise and skill that have made him an NBA star.

The third quarter proved decisive as D’Tigers outscored Tunisia 20–14, widening the gap to 68–47. Okogie, in unstoppable form, dazzled with his guard and shooting skills, taking his tally to 27 points before the start of the final quarter.

Although the last quarter ended evenly at 19–19, Nigeria’s dominance in the earlier stages ensured there was no way back for Tunisia. 

Okogie capped off his stellar performance with 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, receiving loud acclaim from the fans in Luanda for his leadership and offensive masterclass.

This result marks back-to-back victories for D’Tigers, keeping them firmly in contention for the knockout stages and signaling their intent to challenge for the championship crown. 

The team will now turn their focus to their next group game against Cameroon, where they will look to maintain their winning momentum on Sunday.

The Belgian Cats are proudly reflecting on being able to call themselves a global top five team for only the second time in their history, while Nigeria are celebrating entering the top 10 after the latest update of the FIBA World Ranking Women, presented by Nike.

Refreshed in the wake of the FIBA Continental Cup competitions that have taken place during recent months, Belgium have stepped above Spain who they beat in one of the all-time classic Finals to wrap up consecutive FIBA Women’s EuroBasket titles.

Meanwhile Nigeria were crowned FIBA Women’s AfroBasket champions for an impressive fifth time in a row and D’Tigress have an extra cause for cheer after moving returning to the top 10. They jump up three places into 8th place and still remain the only African team to have ever occupied a top 10 place.

The other upwards mover inside the Top 10 are Brazil, who improve to 9th spot having made another Final of FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. It was USA who won the prestigious trophy and they remain in pole position in the rankings.

Australia grabbed gold at FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025 and that consolidates their 2nd place in the rankings, with hosts and third-place medal winners China also maintaining their top four status.

Elsewhere in the top 20 of the rankings, Italy rose up two places into 14th off the back of taking their first medal at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket in 30 years, with Germany, Türkiye and Czechia all up one place due to their respective positive performances.

Mali and Colombia both make big moves into the top 20 thanks to their eye-catching campaigns. Mali was the runner-up at FIBA Women’s AfroBasket and they are elevated six places into 18th. Colombia are into 19th after a massive climb of 11 places – helped by a top five finish at FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025.

There were a number of other double-digit climbers, including Lithuania who made a return to FIBA Women’s EuroBasket for the first time in a decade and made the Quarter-Finals. They soared 14 places into 31st place.

One of the fairytale stories of the year was South Sudan making their memorable run to the podium at the FIBA AfroBasket Women 2025 on debut and claimed third-place. It’s a feat which sees them rocket skywards by 31 places into 55th. That is an incredible new chapter considering they were not even inside the top 100 of the rankings only a year ago.

Lebanon find themselves up 13 steps on the ladder into 41st and Indonesia up 19 and into 60th after they competed at FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025.

Finally, Iran were able to rise up 15 spots into 44th and Mongolia up 20 into 70th after their performances at FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025, Division B.