Sport

China can arrange an open and safe Winter Olympics: Veikko Halonen

Published

4 years ago

August 17, 2021

“China has shown the way how to handle an epidemic. Tight rules for daily life have been proved the right strategy to ensure a quick comeback to normal social and economic life in China. Based on the experiences, China will arrange an open and safe Winter Olympics.” Veikko Halonen, the CEO of Vuokatti Olympic Training Center told People’s Daily in a recent written interview.

Halonen was very impressed by Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. “I have never seen such solid and coherent will and effort to organize a sport event. I still remember the scene when Finnish Olympic team came back home from Beijing in 2008. They praised Beijing Olympics as one of the best games in Olympic history”. From his point of view, with great efforts and enthusiasm, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games will again be “extraordinary and excellent”. “It seems that the coming Olympics are an event of whole people, not only an issue of limited number of athletes”, he added.

Beijing 2022 is committed to its mission of hosting “green, inclusive, open and clean” Olympic Winter Games. The Organising Committee’s initiatives include sustainable management of venues, low carbon programmes and sustainable sourcing. Halonen appreciated China’s efforts on ecological protection and stressed that sustainability is one of the most important issues all over the world.

Halonen has visited the venues and stadiums used at Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Now China has transformed the National Aquatics Centre, colloquially known as the “Water Cube”, into an “Ice Cube” for the coming Olympic Games. Wukesong Sports Centre, a former stadium for basketball, has been transformed into a stadium for ice hockey. It is the first venue in China which can be used for the two professional sports events after simple transformation. “I was very impressed when I had the chance to see how Beijing is reconstructing the previous steel factory, Shougang Park site, into a place of sports and leisure.” He stressed that all these changes manifest China’s implementation of the green Olympics and its responsibility for environmental protection.

Beijing 2022’s vision of giving 300 million people in China access to winter sports has already been visible. Halonen shared a similar period of history in Finland with People’s Daily: “50 years ago, Finland decided to encourage its people to go in for winter sports. We announced a campaign “Kansanhiihto” (‘Nation’s ski’ in English). That campaign was going on for years, and people were so proud if they got many ‘Nation’s ski’ textile marks in his/her ski jacket.” He believes that China’s vision of promoting 300 million people to be winter sports lovers will certainly be realized, and it will also facilitate the cooperation between Finland and China extending from Olympic games to mass sports, sports industry and other fields.

The cooperation between Finland and China in fields of winter sport games is getting much closer in recent years. During the China Finland Year of Winter Sports in 2019, the two countries held more than 60 celebrating events, boosting the development speed of winter sports industry in both countries. Halonen said it was great experience to take part in these events.

Vuokatti Sport Olympic Training Center lies in the northern part of Finland, attracting lots of Chinese athletes coming for competing and training every year. Halonen has been personally following the training of Chinese athletes and para-athletes: “Chinese teams are well-organized, and they have clear rules of training and daily programs. I am sure that China will improve its global status in winter sports. ”

This year, Chinese Lunar New Year began on February 12. Halonen shared a photo of four bottles of soy sauces made in China on his Facebook account that day. As a food and cooking lover, he was very happy to receive the gift form his Chinese colleague. “In recent years, my Chinese friends and colleagues have briefed me on many Chinese traditions and conventions. China, Chinese athletes and Chinese sports organization leaders have opened a wonderful window for me to the new culture.” He believed that the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games will also be a precious chance for the world to learn more about China, and “the mutual trust and cooperation between Finland and China will surely continue to rise in sports fields.”

By Zhang Jinruo, People’s Daily

Sport

Technical education key to national development: NBTE

Published

2 months ago

October 10, 2025

Our Reporter

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Ag. Director of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), North Central Zone, Mr. Bello Abdul-Hakeem, has emphasised the pivotal role of technical education in fostering national development.

Bello made this declaration during his recent visit to the Kwara State Polytechnic as part of his familiarization tour of educational institutions within the north central region.

In his address, the Ag. Director emphasised NBTE’s commitment to bolstering skills acquisition among youths, highlighting that such initiatives are essential in combating unemployment across the country.

Bello praised the Kwara State Polytechnic for its well-established academic programmes and for ensuring that all its courses are fully accredited.

He encouraged the management of the Kwara Polytechnic to continue to be committed to excellence and innovation in technical education.

Responding, the Rector, Engr. Dr. Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, expressed gratitude for the Ag. Director’s visit and reiterated the institution’s dedication to adhering strictly to NBTE’s regulations regarding academic programmes.

He emphasized Kwarapoly’s mission to equip students with the essential skills needed to compete effectively in the job market.

“We are committed to ensuring our students graduate with dual certifications: the National Diploma (ND) or Higher National Diploma (HND) alongside the National Skills Qualification (NSQ) certificate,” he stated.

The Rector also took the opportunity to seek support from the zonal office for the accreditation of some recently launched programmes, reinforcing the Polytechnic’s efforts to stay at the forefront of vocational education.

The visit marked a significant step towards fostering a robust technical education environment, ensuring that students are well-prepared to meet the demands of the labour market and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s economy.

End

Sport

Nigeria loses 2026 World Cup ticket.

Published

2 months ago

October 6, 2025

Our Reporter

Nigeria’s bid to qualify for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has ended in disappointment, with the Yellow Greens finishing sixth at the Africa Qualifiers after losing to Uganda by 66 runs in the fifth-place playoff on Saturday.

Uganda posted an imposing 196 for 7, powered by an unbeaten 66 from Riazat Ali Shah, who anchored their innings with a composed knock.

In response, Nigeria could only manage 130 for 7 in their 20 overs. Captain Sylvester Okpe put up a fight, top-scoring with 26 runs and also claiming two wickets, but his efforts were not enough to turn the tide.

Across the tournament, Nigeria secured wins against Malawi and Botswana but fell short against Namibia, Kenya, and Uganda, exposing struggles with consistency against higher-ranked teams.

With the qualifiers concluded, Zimbabwe and Namibia clinched Africa’s two tickets to the 2026 T20 World Cup, joining South Africa as the continent’s representatives at the global tournament.

Sport

Galatasaray Issue Official Update on Victor Osimhen’s Injury

Published

3 months ago

September 9, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

Galatasaray have released a statement on Victor Osimhen’s fitness after the Nigerian striker sustained an ankle injury during the Super Eagles’ 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Rwanda on Saturday.

Osimhen limped off just before halftime following a heavy challenge and was replaced by Cyriel Dessers. The forward, who has scored twice in his first three Super Lig matches, reportedly woke up the next morning with severe ankle pain. Nigeria’s medical team has since ruled him out of Tuesday’s qualifier against South Africa.

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle confirmed the injury is being closely monitored, while in Istanbul, Galatasaray are anxiously awaiting further updates. Head coach Okan Buruk told BeIN Sports that the club had spoken to Osimhen and confirmed he was in significant discomfort.

“We hope it is not serious, but of course we are worried about his condition, especially with the international workload,” Buruk said.

According to Fanatik, Galatasaray arranged for Osimhen’s immediate return to Istanbul on a private jet for medical examinations. The club wants a full assessment before determining his availability.

The Turkish champions are desperate to have their record signing fit for the UEFA Champions League group stage, which begins in 10 days with a tough away fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt. Losing Osimhen for such a crucial game would be a major setback, given the expectations surrounding his arrival this season.

The coming days will be decisive in confirming the extent of the injury and whether Osimhen will feature in Galatasaray’s European opener.

Do you want me to make this tight and headline-friendly for sports news sites, or keep it in-depth with more analysis on Galatasaray’s Champions League prospects?