With just seven days left until the continent’s biggest showdown in armwrestling, Team Nigeria’s 135-member squad has officially entered final camp in Abuja, marking a critical phase in the nation’s quest for glory at the 14th African Armwrestling Championship.

The athletes—drawn from all six geopolitical zones and across various weight categories—are now housed in a high-performance training environment, fine-tuning their strength, technique, and coordination ahead of the July 23–27 competition.

The camp, set up in Abuja FCT, is a hive of focused energy, resilience, and national pride.

The championship, which will attract over 400 athletes and officials from 20 African nations, is being hailed as one of the most significant continental sporting events Nigeria has ever hosted.

“Team Nigeria is locked in and ready. This final camp phase is about sharpening our edge and showing Africa what we’re made of,” said Hon. Adeboye Adeyinka, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development.

This year’s team—Nigeria’s largest-ever armwrestling contingent—includes elite male and female pullers, para-athletes, and promising youth prospects, all determined to defend home turf and elevate Nigeria’s standing in global armwrestling.

The official mascot and team jersey, already unveiled to enthusiastic response, have helped rally fans and increase anticipation.

With the countdown clock ticking, Abuja is steadily transforming into the epicenter of African strength, unity, and sportsmanship.

The championship will take place at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, with world-class setup underway for an unforgettable three-day event.

Spain’s Ballon d’Or holder, Aitana Bonmati, is hospitalised with meningitis two weeks before the Euro 2025 championships.

Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati, the two-time Ballon d’Or holder, has been hospitalised with viral meningitis less than a week before the Women’s European football championship begins.

Spain coach Montse Tome said late on Friday that her star player had felt ill and was taken to a hospital in Madrid where she tested positive for meningitis.

Spain’s team is set to travel to Switzerland on Sunday for the tournament. Its first game is against Portugal on Thursday in Bern. It will also face Belgium and Italy in Group B at Euro 2025.

“Aitana is a very important player for us and we will wait for her,” Tome said after Bonmati missed Friday’s friendly against Japan in the Spanish capital when Spain beat the visitors 3-1.

Tome said that Bonmati started feeling bad with a fever during practice early on Friday.

“She has authorised me to say that she has viral meningitis,” Tome said. “The word is scary, but the doctor tells me that she is under control. She will remain in the hospital and we don’t know for how long.”

The 27-year-old Bonmati has won the top individual award for women for the past two years. The Barcelona player was key in Spain winning the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Bonmati’s vision, dribbling skills, passing and goals have also been vital to Barcelona reaching five consecutive Champions League finals, with the Catalan club winning three titles.

Her absence would put more pressure on Alexia Putellas, herself a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, and fellow Barcelona midfielder Patricia Guijarro, to lead Spain. Against Japan, Tome started 18-year-old Vicky Lopez in place of Bonmati.

Three years ago, Putellas tore her ACL three days before starting the 2022 European Championship. Spain was eliminated in the quarterfinals without its then-top player.

Aljazeera.com

The FIFA Club World Cup continues. After the 5-0 victory in their opening match, Juventus await the challenge against the Moroccans of Wydad AC, fresh from their defeat against Manchester City in their opening match of the competition. From home of the Philadelphia Eagles, in the usual pre-match press conference, Coach Igor Tudor previewed the match, scheduled for Sunday 22 June at 12:00 LT (18:00 CEST).

WYDAD AC
“It’s a different opponent, with the match being played at a different time. We have prepared for it as best we can, as always. It will be an important match against a quality team and we will have to give our best, going full throttle for 90 minutes. The heat? We will have to prepare to face it, but it’s something both teams will face and then we will have to forget it, to focus on what we have to do. Wydad could have scored two goals against City in the first half – it is impossible to make comparisons between one match and another, each match has its own particularities.

FATIGUE
“I don’t see any tiredness in the team, I only see enthusiasm and great spirit in playing together. The lads approached the match against Al Ain the way I like, also thanks to the work we are doing. I am happy, I have felt good with the team since day one and I feel a great energy around us, even in the Club. I hope we can do great things together, because the history of this Club is to do great things. John Elkann’s presence? He is a constant, a strong and important presence. If I may, he makes his presence felt also with the right ways and with the right words. I really liked how he spoke to the players in Turin. There is great energy from him, the players appreciated it and took it as further motivation. After the match he was happy with the performance and the energy seen on the pitch.

PRESENT AND FUTURE
“Qualifying early would be nice, of course, but you can’t plan anything. You have to think match after match. Surprises in the tournament? There certainly are, we have to try not to be a negative surprise, and avoiding that is my job and the players’ job. More optimistic than when we started? It’s too early to tell, we’ve only played had one match. I don’t look at these things, I don’t think about the finish line, I think about what we have to do, training session after training session. You have to live in the present, you learn from the past and we build the future today.”

Juventus.com