21-year-old Vugar Huseynzade, new manager for Azerbaijan's FC Baku's A team. Image courtesy of Azerbaijan FC Baku's official facebook page

Tyler Lee writing for the tech-blog Ubergizmo writes:

While we’re sure many of us out there dream of being able to become professional gamers and basically get paid to play games competitively, not all of us have the chops to get to that level, which is why it’s always nice to read about people who actually succeed while playing video games although in this case, it seems that this particular gamer was so good at playing the game that he was actually offered a job in real life which basically did the same thing. 21-year old gamer Vugar Huseynzade of Sweden has reportedly managed to land a job as a supporting manager of a football team despite having no experience managing a football team before – unless you count Sega and Sports Interactive’s Football Manager series. Huseynzade will be a manager in a support role of one of the Azerbaijan’s top football clubs, and it seems that despite his lack of experience, he has managed to beat out big names who have applied for the position including French legend, Jean-Pierre Papin. Not too shabby!

But is this 21-year-old up to the task? Sportsnewsireland.com says this on its blog:

Vugar Huseynzade was appointed to the role as manager of FC Baku’s A side despite never having managed a real life team before. The 21 year old’s only qualification for the job is his experience playing the computer game for the past 10 years.

The student has a degree in Business Management from Boston University and gained some experience in the sports world interning for an American sports agency.

Huseynzade somehow found himself in Azerbaijan where he was hired by the Premier League club as an assistant earlier this year. The club were so impressed by his prowess at Football Manager that he was promoted to his new position. So for all those Football Manager fans who spent hours on their computers dreaming they were managing their team to glory, their dreams may come true. Who knows maybe Roman Abramovich might be taking note as he searches for Chelsea’s next manager!

So as the bloggers say, next time you decide to play a computer game, do so with the firm commitment that one day you might be the next manager of your favourite team, the driver of your favourite motoring team or the best martial artist in your side of town!

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The Kenyan public service vehicles popularly known as matatus were demonstrating against the latest Traffic Amendment 2012, which has introduced stiff penalties for both first time and repeat offenders and affects Kenyan motorists across the board.

Traffic Snarl-up in a Nairobi Street caused by Public Service strike – Image courtesy of @PossumBlu & @ktnkenya

Online reactions

A couple of bloggers have given a summary of the amended laws and penalties that were approved by the President (Mwai Kibaki) in early November.

Word of Mouth blog posted:

Here is a summary of the new traffic rules caused by the Amendment of section 12 of Cap 403 of the laws of Kenya. The president signed the amendments yesterday meaning they are in operation from today.

1. Number plates: When you sell your vehicle, you should surrender the number plates to the registrar of motor vehicles. Remember to surrender the number plates to the registrar otherwise you risk being arrested and fined
2. Overlapping, undertaking, obstruction, driving on pavement or through a petrol station to avoid traffic: You risk a fine of Kshs 100,000 -300,000 or  one year in jail or BOTH
3. Over speeding:  When you over speed, you risk a fine of Kshs 10,000 or 3 months imprisonment or both
4. Careless Driving: Penalty of Ksh 500,000 or 10 years imprisonment or both
5. Careless driving causing death: Life Imprisonment. This is being treated like murder.
6. Driving under influence of alcohol: A fine of Ksh 500, 000 or ten years in jail or both.
7. PSV Operators: Should adhere to the uniforms and badges rules
8. Motor Cycle operators: ONE PASSENGER only and the passenger and rider must be in reflective vests and helmets – otherwise you risk a fine of Kshs 10,000 and in default 12 months imprisonment.

Autoportal, another blogger focusing on motoring, had a few sections of the Law too:

 ➢ The licence of a person found guilty of exceeding speed limits would be invalid for not less than 3 years if the limit is exceeded by up to 10 KPH or if the offense is repeated more than three times.

➢ The Inspector General of Police would designate areas where Police will be required to erect roadblocks.

➢ There will be road signs showing the prescribed speed limits.

➢ PSV drivers and conductors would be required to wear badges and uniforms. In addition, the PSV drivers would be required to do a compulsory competence test every two years.

➢ Motorcycles would have to be insured against third party risks and the riders would be compelled to wear helmets and reflector jackets. Penalties for contravening this law would attract a KES 10 000 fine or a one-year jail term.

What do you think will be the impact of these new laws ?

@DavidOsiany: What are Matatu operators showing us by this #MatatuStrike? That we cherish lawlessness. That a few people can hold a whole country hostage.

@Ramah_Nyang: A cab driver I know, commenting on the #MatatuStrike, says clients are “calling [him] off the hook.” His services are now being bid for.

@RobertAlai: Allowing private business to control 95% of public transport is the biggest tragedy in Kenya. No serious economy allows that #MatatuStrike

@JnttNemo: On top of walking home in the rain on Ngong road now people are being mugged? My psyche for work tomorrow is at 0.5%#matatuStrike

@Pastor_Wa: At Capital Center Msa rd. Headed North Airport way. Any peep want a ride from this preacher? #CarPoolKe

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To give us a perspective into the racism issue, ArsenalNews chronicles various incidences of racism that have taken place in different countries:

Racism is a major issue in our world nowadays, even the beautiful game is filled with it. Players, officials and fans are all targeted, some may be targeted because of them being on the opposing team and some individuals are even targeted by their own fans. Below are some football related racist incidents and acts that happened all around Europe.

In February 2011, Roberto Carlos signed a contract with Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala. The following month during a game away against Zenit, a banana was held near Carlos by one of the fans as the footballer was taking part in a flag-raising ceremony.

In November 2008, Middlesbrough’s Egyptian forward Mido was subjected to Islamophobic chanting from a small number of Newcastle United fans.

In March 2012, a 29 year old Arsenal fan was arrested after being caught racially abusing Newcastle United player Cheik Tiote by SkySports cameras.

The most talked about incident in the 2011/2012 season was when England captain John Terry was caught on tape allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. Few days ago Queens Park Rangers faced Chelsea, Ferdinand refused to shake hands with Terry before the start of the match.

While it may have affected the various national leagues, it seems that international games are not immune to these incidents with the most recent one in Serbia when the Under-21 England team played the Serbian Under-21 on October 16.

Here is a video uploaded by youtube user SaintOrthodox of the incident that ensued in Serbia in the match between the Under-21 England and Serbian national teams on 16 October 2012:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZZY9U1CdDs

Football Philosophy tells us in the blog-post Racism in the Balkans: A Problem That Will Just Not Go Away:

The disturbing scenes in Serbia this week have once again drawn attention to the issue of racism in football, particularly in this part of the world, where an unhealthy political culture of hard-line nationalism and ethnic prejudice in the region over the past decades has bred violence and bigotry on the terraces.

There is little doubt that the problem of racism, accentuated by periods of aggressive ethnic nationalism in the Balkans, remains a significant problem for football. This is a problem that UEFA and the football authorities appear unwilling to address, in the hope that it will fade out of public consciousness. Their actions to this point in dealing with Tuesday’s despicable incidents have only added weight to this claim.

Lester Hollaway in his blog-post What Rio can learn from non-League football reflects on the English footballer's refusal to wear a Kick It Out t-shirt, a campaign driven by an awareness programme under the same name:

Football has always been a game built on the grassroots and, on a day when a handful of highly-paid Premiership players headed by Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand postured over racism, it was refreshing to witness non-league Sutton United remind us what is good about the game.

First, they were picking on the wrong target. Any criticism about light punishments for racism – for example in the cases of John Terry or Luis Suarez – must go first and foremost to the football authorities and then to Premiership clubs themselves. Kick It Out are merely a pressure group without power, and one that has consistently been calling for tougher penalties for many a year.

The PFA (Professional Footballers Association) in the UK on 24 October gave a 6-point proposal to curb the issue including the so-called Rooney Rule as highlighted by FootyMatters:

The PFA’s plan calls for:

• speeding up the process of dealing with reported racist abuse with close monitoring of any incidents,
• consideration of stiffer penalties for racist abuse and to include an equality awareness programme for culprits and clubs involved,
• an English form of the ‘Rooney Rule’ – introduced by American football’s National Football League in 2003 – to make sure qualified ethnic minority coaches are on interview lists for job vacancies,
• the proportion of black coaches and managers to be monitored and any inequality or progress highlighted,
• racial abuse to be considered gross misconduct in player and coach contracts (and therefore potentially a sackable offence),
• not losing sight of other equality issues such as gender, sexual orientation, disability, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and Asians in football.

Ademir to Zizinho wrote a lenghty post about Why English football doesn't need a “Rooney Rule”:

The idea of introducing a “Rooney rule” might seem a panacea to cure football of its current ills. Yet in reality it would simply paper over the fundamental flaws which beset the entire process of appointing managers. England does not just lack a reasonable number of black managers within the football league, it lacks a sensible method of unearthing managers of talent, regardless of their ethnicity.

Rather than a requirement to interview members of ethnic minorities, a far more inclusive amendment would be to interview prospective managers of any race who had not previously held a professional position. That would not only open up the field to members of all ethnicities, it would end the “old boys’ network” that sees failing managers bounce around from club to club based on a long past playing career. Sadly in their attempt to take control of the media agenda, the PFA have instead latched on to another half-baked idea that will benefit nobody.

It's truly about time that the major governing bodies in the game of football took decisive action against this act that smears the beautiful game of football. It has no place in sport in this time and era as the game is truly global as represented by the players playing in most leagues in Europe and other successful leagues.

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NYC Marathon 2008, by Barry Yanowitz on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Hip as I Wannabe, a New Yorker who is hoping to run the marathon, captures the imagination with her post, “Hurricane Sandy is Messing my Marathon”:

As I write this blog the great state of Maryland is experiencing the beginning onslaught of Hurricane Sandy, the “superstorm of the century.”

Stores have run out of supplies. Children have been called out of school. The government has been shut down. Power outages are expected. Tubs have been filled with water.

People are hunkered down waiting for her to hit.

In my own city, we are under a flood and severe wind warning. It’s been raining ceaselessly for hours.

Oddly enough, none of that worries me. All I can think about is how this storm is going to affect my marathon. (If there is even going to be a marathon.)

I know, I know…. most ridiculous concern ever.

I just can’t help it. I’m supposed to travel to New York on Saturday morning. I’m worried about the train station being shut down and power outages.

What if our hotel is without power?

What if the whole city is a disaster?

Have they ever cancelled the New York Marathon before?

The Run Lounge, another blog, asks a similar question in the post, “Will Sandy stop the New York marathon?”:

So it was with some surprise that the RunLounge read that Mayor Bloomberg had announced that despite the damage and chaos, the New York Marathon, scheduled for this Sunday, would go ahead.

The logistics of a big city marathon are daunting enough, without the thought of trying to accommodate thousands of runners in a city where so much of the infrastructure is damaged or out of action. The New York Road Runners naturally defended the decision to go ahead with the race, stating that it was more important than ever that a race designed from birth to bring together the boroughs of the city and create unity, should help New Yorkers come together once again as the race did in 2001 after the 9/11 tragedy. But in that case the race was a couple of months after the event and most of the infrastructure in the city that was affected was back up and running. In New York the tunnels that lead to the start of the race in Statten Island are still full of water and the ferries to the island cannot run – how will people even get to the start?

Runner's World blog adds an interesting angle to the dilemma facing race organisers on why the marathon should go on:

Adapt the race, improvise, work with the city, change the course, cut the trimmings, do without banners and bleachers and choppers and even bib numbers and times, whatever it takes, but let the race happen. Don't let it sink because we have made it too big and too high-tech. Keep faith with all these people like Kurt who have come, often at great difficulty, from Newcastle NSW or funerals in Wellington, from Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi, every city around the world. They're marathon runners, they know what difficult means.

To go ahead with such a big race after such a huge storm will be very very difficult. To cancel it is unthinkable.

I'd love to see it finish, just this once, alongside the beautiful James Farley Post Office Building on 8th Avenue, with its inscription borrowed from Herodotos:

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

The blog I Run These Towns defiantly publishes a post, saying “You can flood our streets, but you can't take our marathons!”:

As Hurricane Sandy has ravaged NYC, the fate of the NYC Marathon hangs in balance. The New York Road Runners have committed to holding the race as scheduled on Sunday, but it's going to be a challenge for a city recovering from a devastating storm. I'm sure to a lot of people the New York City Marathon is not high on the list of things to worry about. But this is an eve that brings in approximately $340 million in revenue to the City. That's not something you cancel lightly.  Holding the marathon is a testament to the resiliency of the City of New York and their commitment to this important event. As the city and region continue to clean up from the storm, I will keep my fingers crossed that the marathon runs smoothly on Sunday. Sandy you can destroy our boardwalks, but you will not take away our marathons!

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Faniq reported this as follows:

David Stern has announced that he will be stepping down as commissioner of the NBA on February 1, 2014.  The date is significant in that it marks the 30th year since Stern’s inception into the NBA.

“I told (the owners) that it's been a great run that will continue for another 15 months,” said Stern. I'd like to think I did an adequate job. But one of the things I did best was provide a successor. I'm not going anyplace in the next 15 months, but this gives us the opportunity to have a very smooth transition.”

David Stern via Wikimedia CC.

The Triangle blog on Grantland.com had a lengthy post on David Stern's legacy:

It is for other people, including those who worked with and against him for three decades, to hash out Stern’s legacy. He is a bit of a bully, with a legendary temper that set league office employees on edge. He is also a creative thinker and a visionary who has been willing to admit, when asked the right questions, how fortunate he was to take the job when he did — in 1984, as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were taking the league from tape delay to prime time, and as Michael Jordan and Nike were beginning their dual rise to an unprecedented level of fame that would change sports forever. The next 15 months will feature hagiographies to Stern, and the NBA will rightfully honor him as the steward who negotiated mammoth television deals, understood the importance of media, took risks both successful (the Dream Team) and less successful (the NBA’s ongoing venture into China) to expand the game globally, and always operated with the best interests of the league — and its owners — in mind. Another part of that legacy: He and the players union pioneered the salary cap system, now common in other sports, that links player salaries in the aggregate with league revenues and simultaneously limits what each team can spend.

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BattingwithBimal reported the announcement:

Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola has been sacked with immediate effect after being found guilty on all nine charges that he was accused of during his disciplinary hearing. Majola has been found guilty of misconduct, accepting bonuses, not declaring them to the board and wrongdoing around travel claims.

The former chief executive was also asked to appear before chairperson Karel Tip for the verdict, but chose not to.

Gerald Majola – Image courtesy of www.sportslive.co.za

When Majola, who was given an opportunity to tell his side of the story, and his legal team failed to arrive last Friday, the disciplinary chairperson issued the findings on sanctions, and all of them were agreed to by CSA. The decision in finding Majola guilty has finally brought an end to a three-year long investigation, in which Majola and 39 other staff members were paid a total of R4.7 million (then US$ 671,428) in bonuses after hosting a highly successful Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa in 2009.

I was seven years old; I remember Clive Rice and his team being paraded around Kolkata with garlands around their necks. Millions of Indians took to the streets to welcome the South African cricket team. I had no idea what cricket was, we grew up in a soccer home, Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool were the teams we idolised. This was something new to many South Africans, but many of us took the cricketers to heart. They were from our country, we had a team.

Forward a few years, we were lucky to host the IPL. South Africa showed the world how to do it, at short notice we hosted a magnificent tournament. But something wasn’t right; murmurs of secret bonuses, palace coups were appearing in the media. Our beloved game was being dragged through the mud; the Gauteng Cricket Board lost its rights to host the Proteas. Cricket was in a shambles and we could all see it except the powerful men and women at CSA. Cricket always seemed to be the sport that united us.

Cricbuzz also reported this as follows:

Despite being informed that the hearing would go on even if Majola and his team were not present, they opted to not show up for the disciplinary hearing after indicating that they understood the consequences.On the 19th of October 2012, a sanction handed down by Advocate Karel Tip SC stated that Mr Majola is dismissed from his service with CSA with immediate effect. That decision has finally put an end to a three year long chapter that involved R4.7 million (at that time US$ 671,428), an amount which was paid to Majola and 29 other staff members during the 2009 IPL that was held in South Africa.

This brings an end to Gerald Majola's ten-year reign, making him one of the longest serving CEOs in the cricket world. In his time, South Africa never won any major trophies in ICC but was able to host the Cricket World Cup in 2003 and also the Indian Premier League games in 2009, gaining a wider global audience and extensive television coverage.

The CSA will be recruiting a new CEO to replace Gerald Majola when they meet on 27 October at their annual general meeting.

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FirstPost.com had this to say about the announcement:

Goal-line technology providers GoalRef and Hawk-Eye have been authorised to install their systems worldwide after signing licence agreements with FIFA, soccer’s world governing body said on Tuesday.

The announcement came a year after FIFA began an exhaustive search for systems which could reliably detect whether or not a ball had crossed a goal-line.

Football’s rule-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), approved the use of the technology in July following a series of incidents in which referees failed to see that the ball had crossed the goal-line.

The most infamous “phantom goals” were Frank Lampard’s effort for England in the World Cup second round match against Germany in 2010 and Sulley Muntari’s ‘goal’ for AC Milan in a top-of-the-table Serie A clash against Juventus last season.

WorldFootballReport says this in a post titled ‘Goal-line Tech: FIFA Approval Given':

Once a system has been installed in a stadium, the system undergoes a final inspection to check its functionality. This is carried out by an independent test institute, and the results of this so-called ‘final installation test’ must be successful. Premier League clubs may have this approval completed and in place by mid-December 2012.

On Twitter the conversation was quite interesting as can be seen from the following tweets:

@ESPNFC: GoalRef and Hawk-Eye have signed licence agreements with FIFA to install goal-line technology systems worldwide

@dommylloyd: Glad to see goal line technology being introduced, hopefully it won't interrupt the flow of the beautiful game #goallinetechnology

@segankure: People saying human error makes the game more interesting, get real! #GoalLineTechnology

@NickRodgers89: Fifa say they want the game on just like #GoalLineTechnology

@NigeCollins: About time! Install it asap #goallinetechnology

In a post done earlier this month, SportTechie.com had made an appeal for FIFA and other sports such as baseball to appreciate the use of technology in football referee decisions:

In 2014, Brazil hosts the 20th iteration of the FIFA World Cup. With little time left before soccer’s biggest tournament, FIFA prepares to make radical technological changes to improve the much criticized officiating of the sport. Among their initiatives is goal-line technology, aimed to provide clarity on disputable goals.

While this prospect would elevate the state of play, there’s still a long road ahead to make this venture a reality by summer 2014.

FIFA has approved the “Hawk-Eye” and “GoalRef” devices as the goal-line technology to be utilized for the World Cup. The Hawk-Eye system consists of six to eight high-speed cameras that determine the precise location of the soccer ball. This data then is transmitted to video software in order to generate a three-dimensional image of the ball’s course. Referees will learn if a goal was indeed legitimate, within one second of the play. Working simultaneously, GoalRef tracks the ball’s path via magnetic sensors near the goal, informing refs of a score via radio signal on their watches, again, within a second of the play.

Should goal-line technology quickly become the norm in soccer, the 2014 World Cup is bound to be officiated more accurately than any World Cup in the past. A lot of gradual steps need to materialize between now and summer 2014, to ensure for Brazilians that their national sport is showcased on their home turf without any controversial game-deciding goals.

The Footy Blog also made a brief note on the announcement and had this to say:

This should be the most boring story of the world, and yet the Twitter replies to the news include a “noooo!” and “Dislike.” But why?

FIFA have extensively tested the technology in trials, and it passed with flying colours. Is it really that romantic for goals that should be given disallowed? Or vice versa? Is technology that helps referees automatically bad? I honestly don’t understand the opposition to this at all.

This announcement is bound to change the way the game of football has been decided over the last couple of years. After initially firmly refusing to interfere with play, FIFA leaders seem to have appreciated the need for a ‘third eye’ to aid make informed decisions by referees on contentious goals and other action around the goal-mouth.

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Zimbabwe Shirt Crest courtesy of ZIFA – www.wikipedia.com

But while focus was on who was going to qualify and who would miss the continental challenge, Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) was dealing with the match-fixing scandal that popularly has come to be known as Asiagate.

Following revelations by Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal earlier this year, top football officials have been suspended and even the ZIFA chief executive Jonathan Mashingaindze was kidnapped for making investigations of the match-fixing claims.However various national football fans have been talking about it.

FutbolNews9101 noted that the number of players suspended:

National team players alleged to have taken bribes to throw matches played in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Eighty Zimbabwean footballers have been suspended because of alleged involvement in Asian betting syndicates linked to match-fixing.

The country's sports minister said football was “riddled with corruption”, and called for politics to be rooted out of the sport.The players, including leading members of the national team, are alleged to have taken bribes to throw friendly matches between 2007 and 2009.The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) has set up an independent ethics committee to investigate the alleged fixing, which it believes took place when the national team played in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Stephen Brewer on the blog The Non-partisan Football Fans also shared some concerns about football in a post titled – Global Corruption in Football, It was never a Beautiful Game Part I:

Although this happened five years ago and surfaced a massive three years later, the first proper action was only taken by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) in February 2012 when they temporarily banned around 90 people including coaches. The ZIFA chief executive who was fired ‘Henrieta Rushwaya’ was said to have masterminded the scam, she has been arrested and faces jail time if convicted. The ones who truly suffer from this are the fans, a lot of whom feel that this scandal is surely going to ruin their chances of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations.

Though a majority have the right attitude, with one fan Lindiwe Malaba saying, “They are greedy. We will not miss them at all. They have brought shame to this country.” A sentiment also felt by retired Zimbabwe forward Alois Bunjira, who feels the people involved deserve their fate for putting the country to shame. However after reading several accounts I don’t feel this entirely accurate, whilst I agree with the fans and Bunjira 99%, I feel sorry for the teams goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro who is known to have cried when he was told to allow goals to fly past him. This strikes me as a player with little to no choice and I genuinely feel remorse for him.

Reflections of an African Youth wrote a passionate appeal to the national coach Rahman Gumbo and the football team known as the Warriors:

Dear Rahman.

I know it is not easy carrying the hopes of an entire nation, less so when that nation is Zimbabwe, whose citizens are always complaining about one thing or the other.

Yesterday is a day best forgotten for you and millions of Zimbabweans. It was a terrible day, a disastrous end to a fairy tale that lasted one game.

When you got the position of head coach I, and other like minded Zimbabweans, reserved our comments. I would not be lying if I say I hoped you well.

It is a difficult job, a difficult team, with difficult fans in a difficult country but when you got the job everyone agreed it would not be too difficult to succeed. Against a background of match-fixing, losing to Cape Verde and failing to qualify for the AFCON since 2006 all you needed to do was win a few matches.

He expresses his disappointment with national team officials and nation's state of affairs and further says,

We were tired of Prime Minister Tsvangira’s wife and the women in his life. We were equally tired of the speculation over elections which has gone on for over two years now.

And Cde Rahman, you gave me a chance to write a letter, something I have not done in a very long while. There is something positive even in the bad as the Shona say, “Kushata kwezvimwe kunaka kwezvimwe” isn’t it?

Lastly I wish you every success in your next adventures, wherein you will be carrying the hopes of lots of people again. Must be a heavy burden that, carrying an entire people’s hopes, especially a capricious people like Zimbabweans.

I won’t be part of those people or adventures though Cde Gumbo, my time with the Warriors is up.

In the hope that this letter finds you well in these difficult times- ‘mourning times’ as Sharuko would have us believe.

I look forward to receiving your reply comrade.

Warmest Regards

The African Youth ( A very disappointed former fan of the Warriors)

Finally Stanford Chiwanga through his blog Flair Play offers a nice conclusion by saying:

There is no denying that football in Zimbabwe has not been tapped, its full potential has been retarded by lack of corporate support. This is the time for ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube and his board to impress the business community that has shunned football because of perceived corruption and maladministration.

The Ndumiso Gumede led Asiagate investigating team has done well and the prayer of the day is that its findings will not be thrown into the dustbin with just a few scapegoats punished while the major players walk away with the proverbial cigar in their mouths.

The Asiagate scandal was a wake up call, a reminder and an obvious example that our football is in need of drastic changes now not tomorrow. This opportunity must not be lost otherwise the vultures will circle again when the dust has settled.

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In his blog The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer he says:

A Singapore court has ordered veteran journalist and scholar JMD to reveal his sources for his reporting on an audit of suspended world soccer body FIFA vice president and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohammed Bin Hammam's management of AFC's finances and agreement with a Singapore-based company on the group's marketing rights.

The court accepted a demand by World Sports Group (WSG) to instruct the journalist and scholar to reveal his sources on the grounds that the audit was confidential and that the sources had defamed the company.

Image of Mohammed Bin Hamam, by Kolocheirani, available via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Part of the controversial audit says this:

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has released its full decision in the dispute between Mohammed bin Hammam and FIFA (available here in PDF). The dispute centers on FIFA's lifetime suspension of bin Hammam for allegedly bribing Caribbean football officials in May, 2011 in his effort to win the FIFA presidency.In a nutshell, $1,000,000 was distributed at a special meeting of Caribbean football officials — that is, representatives to FIFA with a vote in the FIFA presidential election. The money was distributed in cash in brown paper bags in $40,000 allotments to 25 individuals. The disbursement was done by Jack Warner, then head of the Caribbean Football Union (since caught up in his own series of scandals). Of note, the CAS judgment says that “Mr. Warner appears to be prone to an economy with the truth.” You can actually see a video of the disbursements being made here.

In response FIFA focused on bin Hammam's alleged guiltiness of the charges and decided to punt on the issues of due process. The decision explains that FIFA argued,

… CAS panels should not in such circumstances consider arguments alleging the violation of due process. The Respondent sees no reason to address in any detail the Appellant’s complaints on those items.

Wow. It is telling that FIFA appeared to believe that addressing questions of due process would be unnecessary.The CAS found, in a 2-1 judgment, in favor of bin Hammam, noting that their judgment was not a statement about the likelihood of his innocence, but rather a statement about FIFA's failure to prove its case. In fact, the CAS suggested that bin Hammam was likely guilty of the charges.

This judgment represents a victory for the rule of law, for due process and for the notion that FIFA must conform to such norms rather than operate in an ad hoc manner. Of further note is that bin Hammam's victory in this dispute, which certainly does nothing to change his status in world football (as he is being investigated under other allegations of violations), reinforces the need for a jurisprudence of  sport consistent with the widely accepted norms of jurisprudence which comprise democratic governance.That, in the end, is a victory for sports governance.

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This tournament has honed the skills of Kenyan rugby players and seen them become one of the most attractive Sevens team in the International Rugby Board Sevens Series circuit. Fans and bloggers alike shared their thoughts about the tournament as follows:

Chronicles in My Head in a post done by @JoyDoreenBiira - a Ugandan TV personality – on her experience at (her first) Safari 7s;

I do love sport events for the mere yet strong fact that they bring people together. It is at sport events that tribe, social status, political affiliation and all other such like differences are left behind… It is there, that team support is expressed to the maximum and pristine love for the game is put first before anything else. So, I spent most of my Sunday September 23, 2012 at the Nyayo National stadium in Nairobi; first to support both Team Kenya and Team Uganda, second was to feel the experience but also social-network with fans of the game as I enjoyed every other moment at the stadium. It was absolutely the kind of fun what would expect from any passionately attended sport…. And definitely a good place to network with the young corporates.

Nyayo National Stadium during 2012 Safari Sevens – Image by www.mythoughtbar.blogspot.com

Another blogger, Pitzevans in his blog, Area 51 had this to say about his experience of the tournament:

Safaricom Sevens was billed as being the biggest sporting event to hit the country this year. After the dismal performance of our Kenyan Olympic team, the country could do with some excitement and potentially, some much needed silver ware. But I’m sure everyone by now knows the performance of our team and the major powerhouses that visited our beautiful nation and stole what should have been left in our dusty trophy rooms. I shall not go there, I am not a sport commentator and neither I’m I a big fun of rugby. What I am and I’m sure I identify with most of you here, is an event addict, a socialite who thrives in the company of friends in any forum that relies on liquor as a conduit of enhancing friendship. A merry maker who can’t miss any opportunity to have fun and get intoxicated while engulfed in a blanket of camaraderie and shared interests.

The Blodwyn World also had his thoughts about the tournament billed as the biggest sports event in the country:

 The 17th edition of Safaricom Sevens was a success. I'm not particularly too big on rugby but 7s is a must attend. The sights and sounds are simply unbelievable. If possible, I'd make the event one of the country's National symbols. Never before have I felt so… Kenyan. As a fan sitting in the stands and watching Kenya play while thousands of like minded fans help you cheer your country on… Its… Simply amazing. And that is from a fan's perspective. I can't even begin to imagine how it feels to actually be on that field and actually be the one being cheered on as you represent the country. Prodigious.

SportsKenya also spoke of the significance of the tournament in the last 17 years it has been held:

 Well for Kenya Rugby Union's prized possession in Safari Sevens or better #Safari7s, this will be the 17th edition of the biggest 3-day rugby tournament in East Africa. For those not particularly familiar with the shorter version of the game, it happened on the scene a little into the 1990s and Kenya was quick to adopt it and has borne fruits albeit with mixed results. Not to underestimate Kenya's contribution to the game but our very own Humphrey Kayange was part of the team that rooted for the inclusion of the 7s version to the Olympic Games sports. This shall debut in 2016 in Rio, Brazil. Back to #Safari7s, this year the tournament will be used once again to gauge the national team's players preparedness for the 2012/13 season. It shall also mark the national team's head coach Mike Friday's first ever outing with his charges and what better way than right here at home in front of the Kenyan crowds.

Those on social media website Twitter also had quite some interesting take on the event. Using the hash-tags #Safari7s and #Safaricom7s here are some samples of their comments:

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The former boxing champ has like many former sports personalities, seen the authorities turn their back on her even after she made a name for the country with her impressive achievements.

She won the GBU (Global Boxing Union) Middleweight title in 2004 after knocking out Fiona Tugume of Uganda. In 2005, she again won the WIBF (Women's International Boxing Federation) middleweight crown by knocking out Guillermina Hernandez of Argentina. She also did contested for the middleweight division in the WBU (World Boxing Association).

Following this story, there was a great outpouring of emotions, comments and views from Kenyans online. On Twitter, under the hashtag #KOT4Conje (KenyansOnTwitter for Conjestina) netizens made a passionate appeal to fans to raise money for her medical and other expenses.

Here are samples of the responses:

@EADestination: Three cheers to the Kenyan public supporting our national boxing heroine! #KOT4Conje on.fb.me/RHYXRH

@kiokoj_Official: We are sinners if we can treat our sports men and women like this! #KOT4CONJE

@ZawadiN: The media coverage of #ConjestinaAchieng is still disturbing. Can't the story be told while protecting her privacy? #KOT4CONJE

@kirigwi: If the government can't endorse our young achievers, well, i am officially in, #KOT4CONJE

@iammutukufred: #WhatsMoreImportantThanVPResidence #KOT4CONJE ! [referring to the new residence built for Kenya's vice president which cost the taxpayer figures in the region of KSh. 400 million]

@MendyAhbizzy: Conje, you are an amazing lady, am praying hard for you, get well! #KOT4CONJE

‘Conjestina Achieng Will Rise Again’

Conjestina Achieng in practice – Image courtesy of Empoweringladychitchat.blogspot.com

There were also a couple of bloggers who found time to write something regarding this unfortunate state of affairs. NairobiOne stated this in their post, ‘Conjestina Achieng Will Rise Again':

We have seen the video and the tweets lately, we have cried at the state of our boxing champion and we have pulled our efforts, or are trying to do so and is nice. One thing we all know here at Nairobi One is Conjestina will arise again, she will shine again, she will be well again!

Konvigilante also had this to say about Conjestina's state:

The Pride of Kenya who set the stage for all Kenyan female boxers, Conjestina Achieng’ has recently emerged from oblivion and dominated the social sites. This time not to re-live her glory days as Kenya’s female boxer ranked 5th in the world but to depict the misfortune that befell her along the way.

It seems that life has gone sour for our once ”Hands of Stone” champion. She is now claimed to have gone mad and is now forced to live in deplorable conditions in a one roomed house on the outskirts of Nairobi despite having the opportunity to brush shoulders with the mighty like Laila Ali (Mohammed Ali’s daughter).

SportsKenya's blog post asked about other sports personalities who may be suffering from conditions such as Conjestina's or worse:

A section of mainstream media yesterday showed us the deplorable state that one of Kenya's better known female boxers Conjestina Achieng is living in. Last year she was checked into a mental facility after her sister managed to get the media to highlight her plight and was released though it has been claimed she's still on the verge of ruin from substance abuse and depression.

We share our concerns and hope that Conjestina's condition improves. But of greater concern is what happens to many other former sports personalities. From former footballers to former athletes and boxers we have seen the sorry state that most of them have ended up in. Abuse of alcohol, cases of depression as well as abandonment from their handlers are some of the issues they suffer from.

In a country where social services are still very deficient especially for the middle-aged and the ageing, the Government has not helped matters too by having not much in structures to look into such issues. It's even worse for sports personalities who have to look at their respective sports federations and organisations most of which still struggle to manage daily affairs let alone the very sports people they ought to think of.

Brandlyf asked this on its blog, Who is a True Kenyan?

I watched the recent documentary on Conjestina Achieng’ and felt a twinge of despair at her plight. It is a real shame for our collective conscience as Kenyans, to let one of our celebrated heroines wallow in a world of dire poverty, helplessness and ill-health. What happened to our collective pride of being our brother’s keeper, the African way? [...] The strength of a society is defined by how it defines its weakest members. How have as Kenyans treated those who are weaker than us? Our true character is mostly revealed in the ever-present traffic, where might is right, and everyone is a [Michael] Schumacher [racing driver] in their quest to outdo the other to get to a non-existent destination.

Journalism Dry Cleaner a blog by a former journalist, admonished the mainstream media for a poor job in covering the story:

 It's in the public interest, especially for Kenyans to realise just how low one of the country's renown female athlete has sunk. But in highlighting her plight, the media should not abandon ethical considerations like upholding her right to privacy, as an ailing person. The press should help Conjestina Achieng' get help but please, don't ridicule or make a mockery of her condition. It was disturbing to watch one channel over-emphasise Conjestina's most recent case of mental instability, despite it having already been established, courtesy of another local TV channel. Was it that necessary to air the ‘extended’ clips of the one time champion pugilist, primarily to showcase the fact that she's incoherent in her speech and actions? Is this not being insensitive to the thousands of others afflicted by the same condition and debasing an already dire situation faced by Conjestina? The media should not add to the already heavy burden of those caring for or struggling to get support for mental health patients. I honestly hope that journalists will back off and probably just concentrate on assisting Conjestina to get all the help that she requires, whilst safeguarding her inalienable rights as a human being.

Sitawa Wafula in her blog raises serious concerns about mental illness in Kenya and how Conjestina still remains her hero despite her state:

I start this blog post as a happy woman, reason being, Kenyans spent a whole day talking about mental health and much more, they want to help, very humbling. I have been highlighting issues of Mental Health on my blog and talks and my poetry and to everyone who cares to listen ever since I first discovered I have a mental illness or two or three and it is really so very humbling that people have taken notice of how real these issues are…guess it hasn't happened until it happens.Conjestina is world No. 5, Conjestina is the best in Africa, Conjestina is…she is and she will always be. Depending on the diagnosis and the causes of her illness, the support she gets from her sister and community, Conjestina can be anything she wishes to be.

She also summarises her post appropriately as follows:

Again thank you all for standing with Conjestina, thank you for standing with persons with mental illnesses. Hugs, Kisses and Sunflowers to each and everyone of you.

On Thursday, 13 September, prominent Kenyan personalities came together via a tweet-up ( informal meet-up) to raise funds for the boxer and her family. Using the Twitter hash-tag #PamojaConje and now with a Twitter handle @PamojaConje, the personalities were able to raise over 100,000 Kenyan Shillings (about US$ 1,200) on the first night.

In light of this issue, many Kenyans have asked the Kenyan Government to put in place structures that would ensure retired sports personalities do not suffer in their retirement. A proposed Sports Bill has been in the offing to finance such developments but whether it will be enacted into law before the end of the year is another thing.

As for now, the retired sports personalities will have to rely on the ingenuity and generosity of the Kenyan public.

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South African double amputee and the first athlete to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics Games in the same year, Oscar Pistorius, attracted attention after being beaten to second place in the T44 200 metre men’s final. He had previously set a new world record in the men's T44 200 metre heats.

Ten Percent or Less blog explains how afterwards the athlete, a specialist in the 100 metre, 200 metre and the one-lap 400 metre, stated this of the winner Brazilian Alan Oliveira:

I can't compete with Alan's stride length……it's very clear that the guys have got very long strides

Oscar Pistorius congratulates Brazil's Alan Oliveira after he won the Paralympic T44 200 metres at the London Paralympic games. The favourite Oscar Pistorius came in only second after the world record in the qualification heat. Image by Mauro Ujetto, copyright Demotix (02/09/12).

The blogger earlier gave an introduction of what Oscar Pistorius had previously achieved:

So much of the Olympic and Paralympic coverage has been centered around the ‘Blade Runner', Oscar Pistorius. He was the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics and in no way was he just making up the numbers, reaching the 400m semi-finals and 4x400m final. Considering the fact he competes with, and beats able-bodied athletes it's understandable that he's always a favourite for any race he enters limited to athletes with below knee amputations.

Going on to give a detailed breakdown of why Pistorius was wrong in making that statement against Oliveira:

Firstly this just isn't the case. Pistorius took 92 strides (49 in the first 100m, 43 in the second), Oliveira took 98 (52 in the first 100m, 46 in the second). Pistorius’ stides are actually longer than Oliveira's, it's Oliveira who can't compete with Pistorius’ stride length.

Secondly Pistorius stated “the guys’ legs are unbelievably long”, an issue Pistorius says he brought up with the IPC weeks before the games. The IPC has a formula to limit the length of blades based on what they estimate the athlete's height would be if they had both legs. Oliveira's blades are completely legal, falling within the measurements allowed by the IPC. Pistorius could actually lengthen his blades if he wished so I'm not entirely sure why he believes Oliveira's blade length is unfair.

Another point to consider is how ‘slow’ Pistorius ran rather than how ‘fast' Oliveira did. Pistorius covered the 200m distance 0.28 seconds slower than he did the previous day, 21.30 seconds (a new world record) compared to 21.58. Were the comments following the race a result of disappointment from a tired athlete? It's entirely possible, Pistorius running a much slower final would certainly suggest that. Let's not forget Oliveira has been able to prepare specifically for the Paralympics while Pistorius has been competing far more over the last month as well as dealing with substantially more media commitments.

MakeMeaDiva Blog in a post titled “Oscar Pistorius #Bladegate” states:

In case you’ve been on Mars for the last 24 hours, #Bladegate refers to the T44 category 200m final at the Paralympics last night, where Pistorius was narrowly beaten into second place by the Brazilian athlete Alan Oliveira. Pistorius was not expecting to be beaten. Once into the home straight he was in splendid isolation with only the wind for company… until the last 10 metres. Oliveira came roaring up the outside to take the gold medal on the line.”

In case you’ve been on Mars for the last 24 hours, #Bladegate refers to the T44 category 200m final at the Paralympics last night, where Pistorius was narrowly beaten into second place by the Brazilian athlete Alan Oliveira.

Pistorius was not expecting to be beaten. Once into the home straight he was in splendid isolation with only the wind for company… until the last 10 metres. Oliveira came roaring up the outside to take the gold medal on the line.

Still, Pistorius’s remarks were clearly mistimed and made in the heat of the moment; by this morning his head was in back in charge and he made a more measured statement. He still maintained his concern about the fairness of the blades used by his conqueror in the race in his conclusion, saying:

I do believe that there is an issue here and I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the IPC but I accept that raising these concerns immediately as I stepped off the track was wrong. I am a proud Paralympian and believe in the fairness of sport. I am happy to work with the IPC who obviously share these aims.

There are more details explaining why Oliveira beat Pistorius:

The longer blades do cause athletes to have a slower start, Oliveira was left standing when the gun went off last night and was racing well in arrears, but down the straight the longer blades store more elastic energy allowing the athlete to maintain speed whilst using less energy than someone on shorter ones, like Pistorius… This is probably because the longer blades do give you an advantage in the straight, but this offset by running more slowly at the start and whilst runnning the bend. It’s down to the athlete which tactics they want to employ. Oliveira and his team, by switching to the longer blades only three weeks ago, took a gamble. It paid off, just. Pistorius’s gamble was running a very fast half of the race, he then paid for attacking the first 100m by having to slow down a bit in the closing stages. His gamble did not pay off, but again, it was so close. This would have only made it worse from his point of view.

Pistorius raced on the blades he ran on in the Olympics. Under the rule book he too could go for longer blades – his maximum permitted height on racing blades, as things stand, would take him to 193 cm tall. His current blades means he stands 184 cm. He could add an extra 9 cm to his height and this would mean if Oliveira stuck with his current prostheses at 181 cm, Pistorius could gain a 12 cm height advantage over his rival. Of course, it is not standing taller that necessarily gives the advantage, it is the longer blade being used, and that advantage has to be traded off against the slower start.

The current rules also seem to allow for a huge differential in blade lengths – after all Pistorius could legally add up to 9 cm to his racing blades. He might regret not switching to longer blades in the Paralympics now, but as an athlete who has battled so hard to prove that his blades do not give him a mechanical advantage over a non-Paralympic athlete you can see why he stuck with his Olympic-approved ones.

Oscar Pistorius will be humbled by the defeat and rue the missed chances of holding both the world record and a Paralympics Games gold. But as a Swahili saying puts it, “Asiyekubali kushindwa si mshindani” (Whoever refuses to accept defeat is no worthy competitor).

And on Wednesday 5 September, Pistorius bounced back to help the 4 x 100 metre relay team win gold and break the world record in the T42/46 final. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter on their performance:

@kingsleyhead : Great relay run, no excuses, Pistorius both expected and saw the opposition this time round #oscarpistorius

@montgomeryotter : Personally I no longer care what #OscarPistorius does. He is only sporting when he wins. He could learn a lot from losing more often.

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Bloggers in Kenya had their own views about Henri Michel's appointment. Chenga Funga states this in his post ‘The Rule of Knowns‘:

A 3 way dilemma. That’s what has led FKF to Henri. Michel Simply put, would you rather the known-known, known unknown or unknown unknowns? After witnessing the Harambee stars struggle to strike lustre in the beautiful game, stakeholders have been touting names foreign to the Kenyan tongue for the national team’s top job. The dilemma therein. Others have been tried and tested in the recent past, and not many have impressed: Francis Kimanzi, “Ghost” Mulee, Antoine Hey and Zico, didn’t quite cut it. So Sam Nyamweya and Football Kenya Federation opted to chance with the known-unknowns, Raymond Domenech (yes, him), Claude Leroy, Oto Pfister, Adel Amrouche and Frenchman Michel from a more extensive shortlist. Many boast noteworthy success under their managerial careers and therefore felt equal to the task. Put in mind our football team is a wild card. Has been for a while now. In a minute way, VERY MINUTE, our position is similar to England’s, currently bossed by Roy Hodgson. Bags of potential, no actual results. Admittedly, we should be thankful for the national coaches we have had, but life goes on, and it has, with Frenchman Henri Michel. Our known unknown.

MutuaMaundu‘s blog also played down the expectations put on Monsieur Michel:

The whole country has almost gone hysterical about it. To many, Henri Michel is the much-needed messiah to the Kenyan soccer that has literally seen the worst. The French-man may have unrivalled feathers to his cap, but as a nation that has suffered heartbreaks and anguish due to an under-performing national team, let us tone down our expectations. It will be prudent not to expect too much.

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After hosting a most memorable Olympics, the British capital city of London welcomed the world's Paralympians for what is claimed to be the biggest Paralympics Games ever. Though the Games may not be able to rival their able-bodied ones in terms of hype and coverage, there are still many conversations going on online focusing in the event.

Leggotunglei starts by giving a historical background of how the Paralympics Games came about:

 In 1948, a hospital outside London witnessed the birth of the Paralympic movement, as a Jewish doctor who had fled Nazi Germany sought to change the lives of patients with spinal injuries — and inspire new hope in them through sport. The first “Stoke Mandeville Games” were organized in 1948 to coincide with the London Olympics, the second to be held in Britain.

Adam Lancia is blocked by Shingo Gujii during the preliminary group B wheelchair basketball match between Canada and Japan. Image by Clive Chilvers, copyright Demotix (30/08/12).

The blogger continues:

In 1956, a “statement of intent” was unveiled for the Games, which were by this time international, according to to the Mandeville Legacy website run by the local authority. It read: “The aim of the Stoke Mandeville Games is to unite paralyzed men and women from all parts of the world in an international sports movement, and your spirit of true sportsmanship today will give hope and inspiration to thousands of paralyzed people.” Four years later, inspired by Guttmann’s vision, the first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome in tandem with the Olympics. And five decades on, some 4,280 Paralympians from 165 countries — the largest number ever — have returned to Britain to compete in what is now the premier international sporting event for those born with disabilities, or disabled by injury or illness.

Voices of Russia says this about the opening ceremony of the Games:

On Wednesday night, the opening ceremony for the 14th Summer Paralympic Games was held at London’s Olympic Park, and who better to help welcome the Paralympians than a scientist who showed the world that physical limitations don’t limit human potential? “Enlightenment” was the theme, physicist Stephen Hawking the guide, and Olympic Stadium the venue, as London welcomed 4,200 athletes from 166 nations and territories to the 2012 Paralympic Games. The extravaganza, directed by Bradley Hemmings and Jenny Sealey, included 73 deaf and disabled professional performers and 68 disabled people among its 3,250 volunteers.

It also notes Queen Elizabeth II's role in opening both the Olympics and Paralympics – a first for any British monarch:

Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, welcomed the Queen before members of the British forces carried the Union Flag into the stadium. It’s the first time a British monarch officiated at the openings of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a statement released before she opened the Games, the Queen said, “It’s with tremendous pride that the people of London and the United Kingdom welcome the world to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The Games are returning to the country where they first began, more than 60 years ago”.

JideSaluDiary blog from Nigeria captures Africa's biggest economy participation in the Paralympic Games:

The London Paralympic Games opened on Wednesday night and Nigeria was represented. It is set to be an inspiring 11 days of watching deformed, turned athletes show the world that nothing is impossible. It was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who said “you can’t win unless you learn how to lose”. These Athletes have suffered deformity that would have any killed abled-body, however, they have learnt to come to terms with their loss. Basically, these Athletes have learnt to lose. I am looking forward to watching  blind footballers play 5 a-side football. I have also found out that there is wheel chair Rugby, how about that….wheel chair rugby, huh! There also will be one legged swimmers, as well as amputee Volleyball players competing like its normal. I know that, after this paralympic games, my challenges will become insignificant.

Nigerian weightlifter Yakubu Adesokan opened the medal score for African countries by giving Nigeria its first gold – in power-lifting. This is a performance that bettered even the able-bodied athletes’ Olympic achievements from Nigeria. Here are a few reactions on Twitter from Nigerians:

@BolaAnt: Well done to Yakubu Adesokan!! Doing what Nigeria's useless Olympic athletes couldn't do by winning gold! #Paralympics

@lophytee: Yakubu Adesokan wins first gold for Nigeria at the Paralympic Games, breaks world recorddlvr.it/24dJ4g

 @NigeriaNewsdesk: Yakubu Adesokan wins first gold for Nigeria at the Paralympic Games, breaks world record j.mp/NEZrTA

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From 11 August, 2012, Ming arrived for his first African tour and was hosted in Kenya’s capital Nairobi – one of the few cities in the world with a national park. The Nairobi National Park plays host to the Kenya Wildlife Services’ headquarters, which is the custodian of the country's national parks and most public conservation areas.

Yao Ming comes face to face with a poached elephant in Northern Kenya. Image by Kristian Schmidt from WildAid Facebook page.

In response to the visit, DailyKenya blog says:

Former NBA basketball player Yao Ming is in Kenya in his role as WildAid Ambassador, to bring attention to poachers threatening rhinos and elephants. Yao is also expected to shoot an anti-poaching documentary in the country. On Saturday, the former Houston Rockets star visited the Ol Pejeta conservancy in Nanyuki. The conservancy serves as a sanctuary for four of the world’s remaining seven Northern white rhinos and in spite of increased security in the conservancy, 5 of its 88 rhinos have been poached in the past one year. The documentary titled “The End of the Wild” is expected to show the beauty and economic importance of wildlife and the extent of the poaching crisis

On his African travel blog, YaoMingBlog, Yao Ming himself has captured each and every step of this African tour along with great photos to tell the story further:

Then I get to meet Najin and Suni, two of the world’s remaining seven Northern White Rhinos – representing one of the most endangered species on the planet. The Northern White Rhino once roamed through Congo, Uganda and Sudan but now only seven remain, four of which are at Ol Pejeta. The four Northern Whites (were) translocated to Ol Pejeta in December of 2009 from a zoo in the Czech Republic in a last attempt to save the species. They have been totally decimated in the wild, due to poaching fuelled by demand for rhino horn for traditional medicinal uses in Asia. The transfer was aimed at providing the rhinos with the most favourable breeding conditions in an attempt to pull the species back from the verge of extinction. It was thought that the climatic, dietary and security conditions that the rhinos will enjoy at Ol Pejeta will provide them with higher chances of starting a population in what is seen as the very last lifeline for the species

Nanyuki and the North blog captures Yao Ming’s visit from a local’s perspective in a brief post:

1. China’s Growing Presence in Africa - Ol Pejeta, the conservancy very close to Nanyuki, had a big (see what I did there? Not yet? You will) visitor this past weekend. In fact, I was rather bummed I didn’t hear about this until after the fact. Apparently, Ol Pejeta has been active in developing an anti-poaching initiative. Pretty cool, right? Well, so cool apparently, that in order to support their initiative, they were visited by none other than YAO MING. Out of control. Yao was 10 miles from my home this past weekend in Rift Valley, Kenya.

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