Sports
Allianz is calling all runners in Africa to r World Run for health and for good
- The run encourages health, well-being and an unbeatable team-spirit. Based on the running and walking efforts during the 90 days from July to October
- Allianz will support five SOS Children‘s Villages across the world. In Africa, runners will be running for SOS Children’s Village in Chad, which will change the lives of almost 2000 people
- The Allianz World Run has raised 1.1 million euros over the past two years and assisted 22 SOS Children’s Villages around the world. Villages in Mali, Mozambique, Niger, South Sudan, Somalia and Ivory Coast were among the beneficiaries.
Allianz is calling on running and walking enthusiasts from all sectors of society in Africa to join the third Allianz World Run, the biggest global running event, which will commenced yesterday and end on October 24, 2018.
The initiative promotes health, well-being and an unbeatable team-spirit and raises funds for SOS Children‘s Villages.
Runtastic, a global fitness platform, will provide technical infrastructure for the competition through their in-depth running knowledge and a huge community of 240 million app downloads and 130 million registered users. The Allianz World Run will comprise of five global teams, namely Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and South America. These teams will represent one dedicated SOS Children‘s Village and one specific project related to the overall social responsibility framework of “Improving Future Generations”.
Thusang Mahlangu, Allianz Global Corporate Specialty (AGCS) Africa CEO, comments: “By utilizing the global power of running while tracking and sharing progress for 90 days in a creative and engaging way, the Allianz World Run has become one of the most powerful engagement activities ever.
More than 20,000 Allianz employees across all functions and management levels participated and provided some really impressive milestones during 180 days of running in the last two years. This year we are calling on all walking and running enthusiasts across the continent to join us in running the Allianz World running for health, fitness and for good.”
“We have been delighted in previous years to see so many runners, ranging from novices to veteran marathoners, joining the Allianz World Run,” says Norbert Meder, CEO at SOS Children’s Villages International. “We provide 87,000 children and young people in 135 countries with a safe place to call home and strengthen the families of half a million more. Having a global partner like Allianz helps to make our work possible.”
Based on the running efforts during the 90 days, Allianz will support five SOS Children‘s Villages across the world – one specific village and topic per team. With more than 580,000 displaced people, the situation for refugees in Chad remains extremely challenging especially for children, who are forced to leave camps and sites to seek livelihoods and access to food, forcing them in turn to adopt negative coping strategies such as begging and survival sex.
That’s why the African team will be running for SOS Children’s Village in Chad, which will provide an emergency programme to reach close to 2000 vulnerable people including children in the refugee camp of Amboko in the Gore region bordering Central African Republic.
The programme will provide a child friendly space to ensure children have access to psycho social support in a safe and secure environment as well as access to formal education.
The more you run the more children are assisted through donations from Allianz to SOS Children’s Villages. For example, 1,890 children can get supported if every team runner covers 150km. The Allianz World Run raised 1.1 million euros over the past two years and assisted 22 SOS Children’s Villages in Mali, Mozambique, Niger, South Sudan, Somalia and Ivory Coast over the same period.
“We still hold the world record for the ‘longest cumulated distance run by one team in 90 days’ and could even increase the average distance per participant – an integral part of the record from 111.75km to 134.19km. The record has been approved by the Records Institute of Germany, an institution that specializes in examining top performances of various kinds and approving records all over the world. The more records we break, the more we enable SOS Children’s Villages to break barriers of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect,” adds Mahlangu.
Follow the five steps below to join the Allianz World Run and explore with us:
- Visit www.allianzworldrun.com on July 26 from 12:00 Central European Time and click on the “Join now” button.
- Register for the Allianz World Run 2018 by choosing their continental team
- Login with your existing Runtastic account or create a new one.
- Download the Runtastic app and track your running, walking and hiking activities using the app or a connected GPS device. Activities tracked with your account will count automatically towards the Allianz World Run.
- Participants can also visit www.allianzworldrun.com to track their live progress and communicate with their respective teams.
…reaffirms MTN Nigeria’s support following ‘draw’ with Zimbabwe.
MTN Nigeria, the official telecommunications partner of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), has reiterated its unwavering support for the Super Eagles following their spirited draw with Zimbabwe in the World Cup qualifier match at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
Building on the momentum from their recent victory against Rwanda, MTN Nigeria had expressed strong backing for the national team ahead of the crucial fixture. Tobe Okigbo, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, stated before the game, “We are confident in the team’s ability to make Nigeria proud and qualify for the World Cup.”
Despite the draw, MTN Nigeria’s CEO, Karl Toriola, maintained a positive outlook. “While tonight’s outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, we remain steadfast in our support for the Super Eagles. This result is just part of the journey towards World Cup qualification, and we believe in the team’s resilience and ability to succeed,” Toriola said.
The match showcased the Super Eagles’ grit and determination as they found their rhythm against the Zimbabwean side. Nigeria scored the first goal, demonstrating their prowess and fighting spirit, although the match ultimately ended in a draw. This result has added to the excitement of Nigeria’s path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
MTN Nigeria, which signed a deal with the NFF in 2021 as the Official Telecoms Partner, has been a constant pillar of support for Nigerian football for over two decades. The company’s commitment extends from grassroots to national levels, investing significantly in the development of local football.
“Our support for the Super Eagles and all national teams is part of our long-standing tradition,” Toriola added. “We are building a sustainable legacy of collaboration, growth, and development in the football space. Tonight’s result doesn’t change our belief in the team’s potential to make all Nigerians proud on the global stage. We believe in our Eagles.”
As the Super Eagles regroup and prepare for their next qualifier, MTN Nigeria has called on all Nigerians to rally behind the team. The company emphasized that this is a crucial time for unity and continued support, expressing confidence that the Super Eagles will overcome this challenge and strive towards securing a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Sports
Portugal Football Club Signs on 19-Year-Old Nigerian- born Footballer, Yaqub Usman-Malah
Reporter: Sandra Ani
Brito Sporting Club of Portugal, a football club founded in 1956, has signed an official contract with a United Kingdom-based highly-talented, young Nigeria-born footballer, Yaqub Usman-Malah.
The official unveiling of the young promising footballer was carried out on Saturday, January 4, 2025.
Yaqub, born in Nigeria in 2006, is a budding Nigerian talent with unquantifiable promise and potential.
Prior to his official contract with Brito Sporting Club of Portugal, he was a student and a trainee player with the Brooke College Football Academy in the United Kingdom.
At Brooke College Football Academy, Yaqub had an impressive goal average of 17 goals in 32 matches with no injuries in 116 training days, cumulating into 2, 270 minutes of on-field action.
A clear testimony of his outstanding performance at the Academy was provided by the lead coach of the Under-17B team Yaqub played with.
The lead coach, Tomasz Wasylik, described Yaqub as a ‘well-liked person’ and a role model to his teammates due to his professionalism and unmatched work rate.
The Lead Coach further stated that Yaqub has played in National School Cup competitions against other colleges and programmes in the 2023/2024 session and is a good ‘tactical player’, ‘technically good” and can ‘play in multiple positions on the field’.
It is expected that Yaqub will live to the potential and promise identified by Coach Tomasz Wasylik of the Brooke College Football Academy and achieve greatness in his new club.
“While looking forward to the display of his unarguable skills and boundless stamina, we wish Yaqub a successful career and a place in the halls of football greatness across the globe,” Yaqub’s father, Mr Usman Malah said in a statement issued to the media, on Wednesday 8, 2025.
Man City counts 28 trophies in the last 10 yearsQNET, an Asian direct selling giant and Manchester City, a top Football club in and outside England, are celebrating 10 years of partnership with great results.
The anniversary was part of the 26th V-Malaysia Conference (VCON) at Penang in Malaysia.
The long-standing partnership will see QNET continue as Official Direct Selling Partner for City’s men’s and women’s teams, according to Techeconomy report.
This partnership marked a significant milestone in May 2018 when City welcomed QNET as the first sleeve partner in the Women’s Super League.
Throughout the next phase of this partnership QNET will continue to provide City-led football clinics to communities around the world, as well as engaging with consumers and distributors through this relationship with City.
In a message to the leaders of QNET and the 8,000 VCON participants from over 30 countries, Ferran Soriano, the chief executive officer of Manchester City FC, said they are pleased to achieve great milestones that would not have been possible without the support and the commitment of everybody at QNET, “and every single one of you. I do remember back in 2014 when I met the leadership of QNET for the first time, and we discussed our plans, our ambitions, and we promised a lot.
“We promised that Manchester City would be a great football team, and that they would play beautiful football. Now, 10 years since then, we hold 28 trophies. I have to be honest and say that when we promised we were going to do well, we didn’t think we were going to win 28 trophies.
“We’re excited now we’re starting a new season, and guess what? We want to win again, and if we do, it would be another record. Maybe we can win the fifth Premier League in a row. Obviously, something that hasn’t happened before. I can promise that we will fight for all the trophies like you fight for all your objectives. Manchester City and QNET have the incredible power to engage people from every country, create a sense of community and empower individuals and teams to achieve their aspirations”.
He promised Manchester City’s support to the QNET brand to achieve even more successes in the coming years.
Trevor Kuna, the CEO of QNET said that the partnership with Manchester City has made positive impacts on the business.
QNET’s grass-roots business model enables ordinary people from all walks of life to start their own business with minimal overhead.
With hard work and dedication, QNET distributors, known as Independent Representatives (IRs) have the opportunity to become economically self-sufficient, raising the standard of life for their families and communities.
QNET is driven by two important philosophies: RYTHM (Raise Yourself to Help Mankind) and InService.
Meanwhile, the highlight of the QNET and Manchester City celebration was the presentation of a 10-year partnership anniversary plaque by John Kirton, senior partnership marketing manager, Manchester City Football Club to the QNET team.
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