The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) has sent congratulatory messages to its champions who recently defended their titles.

AND STILL - Congrats to WBO Global Super Middleweight Champion Aidos Yerbossynuly (15-0, 10 KOs) for his successful 4th title defense after defeating Ghana’s Issah Samir (19-1, 18 KOs) by impressive 3rd-Round TKO @ Nur-Sultan (Astana),  Kazakhstan.

The WBO has earlier congratulated Unified WBO Heavyweight World Champion Anthony Joshua, for his impressive victory over Kubrat Pulev, via 9th-Round TKO @ Wembley Arena.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

The Best FIFA Women's Player and The Best FIFA Men's Player awards are seen © Getty Images

The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2020 ceremony, held as a virtual event at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, crowned two household names, Lucy Bronze and Robert Lewandowski, as the game’s outstanding players on the women’s and men’s side respectively.

Poland and FC Bayern München striker Lewandowski was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player for the first time in his career. Likewise, defender Bronze is also a maiden recipient of The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award after rounding off an impeccable spell with Olympique Lyonnais in style before returning to England to play for Manchester City WFC.

Current Netherlands women’s national-team boss Sarina Wiegman was named The Best FIFA Women’s Coach for the second time in her career following her 2017 success. Meanwhile, Jürgen Klopp claimed The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award for the second consecutive year, having steered Liverpool FC to the English Premier League title for the first time, 30 years after their last top-flight success. As per the Rules of Allocation (art. 12), Klopp was declared the winner after a close race with Hans-Dieter Flick (FC Bayern München), with the outcome decided on voting by the national-team coaches.

Germany and FC Bayern München’s Manuel Neuer was chosen as The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, while France and Olympique Lyonnais’ Sarah Bouhaddi capped her amazing career with The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Award.

Teams of the year

Thousands of football players from around the world cast their votes for this year’s FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World11 and FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World11 selections:

FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World11:

Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool FC), Alphonso Davies* (FC Bayern München), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF) and Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool FC)

Midfielders: Thiago Alcântara (FC Bayern München/Liverpool FC), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City FC) and Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern München)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus FC), Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern München) and Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

* Alphonso Davies was included as a fourth defender in accordance with the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World11 Rules of Allocation.

FIFA_Best_Social_Winner_MXI_1920x1080

FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World11:

Goalkeeper: Christiane Endler (Paris Saint-Germain)

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea FC Women), Lucy Bronze (Olympique Lyonnais/Manchester City WFC) and Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyonnais)

Midfielders: Barbara Bonansea (Juventus Women), Verónica Boquete (Utah Royals/AC Milan Women) and Delphine Cascarino (Olympique Lyonnais)

Forwards: Pernille Harder (VfL Wolfsburg/Chelsea FC Women), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns/Manchester United WFC), Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal WFC) and Megan Rapinoe* (OL Reign)

* Megan Rapinoe was included as a fourth forward in accordance with the FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World11 Rules of Allocation.

FIFA_Best_Social_Winner_WXI_1920x1080

The other awards

FIFA Puskás Award: Son Heung-min (Korea Republic) – Tottenham Hotspur FC v. Burnley FC [Premier League – England] (7 December 2019)

The irresistible solo run by the Tottenham forward was voted the best goal.

FIFA Fan Award: Marivaldo Francisco da Silva (Brazil)

Lacking the money to pay for transport, this fan walks for 12 hours, crossing three cities, to watch his team's home matches. The Brazilian’s story received the most votes.

FIFA Fair Play Award: Mattia Agnese (Italy)

During a game, Agnese, a 17-year-old from Ospedaletti (in the Liguria region), saw an opponent fall to the ground and lose consciousness. He did not hesitate for a moment, rushing to the player’s aid, getting him into a safe position and ultimately saving his life before help arrived.

The results

The winners of The Best player, goalkeeper and coach awards were determined through a voting process in which four groups had an equal say: football fans, selected media representatives, and the captains and head coaches of national teams from around the globe.

A breakdown of the voting results, including each nominee’s points total, is available here.

Below is the complete list of how the captains and coaches of national teams from around the world voted:

Women’s football: captains | head coaches

Men’s football: captains | head coaches

The voting procedure was supervised and monitored by the independent observer PricewaterhouseCoopers Switzerland. For more details about the voting process for each award, consult the respective

Rules of Allocation

For reactions from the winners and inside stories from this evening’s awards show, visit FIFA.com and watch the exclusive videos.

By FIFA

Russia's name and flag will be banned from the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) halved the four-year period of sanctions imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

More to follow…

By Liam Morgan 

ANOC sets dates for World Beach Games in 2023

The second ANOC World Beach Games was postponed to 2023 earlier this year ©Getty Images

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) has set dates of September 24 to 30 for the second edition of its World Beach Games in 2023.

A decision was taken by ANOC in May to postpone the event from 2021.

ANOC said its Executive Council had decided not to stage the event as planned next year "to alleviate pressure" on National Olympic Committees (NOCs) amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This would ensure they could focus on preparing their athletes for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, it was stated.

ANOC secretary general Gunilla Lindberg, speaking during the Panam Sports General Assembly, revealed the organisation plans to host the event from September 24 to 30 in 2023.

The dates avoid a clash with the Pan American Games in Santiago, which are due to run from October 20 to November 5.

The ANOC Executive Council had invited NOCs to express an interest in bidding by February this year for either the 2021 or 2023 World Beach Games.

The process was halted due to the pandemic, however.

ANOC has set dates for the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games ©ANOC

Lindberg said ANOC now aimed to launch the bid process for the event following the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games next year.

She said this would enable NOCs to focus on their preparations for the Olympic Games, while she expressed hope that potential hosts would be able to have more normal contact with Governments and sponsors at the time.

The inaugural ANOC World Beach Games were held in Doha last year.

San Diego was awarded the 2019 World Beach Games in 2015, but the event had to be relocated after Californian organisers were unable to raise the necessary money to fund it.

Qatar stepped in at late notice and hosted what ANOC officials claim was a successful maiden edition of the multi-sport event.

By Michael Pavitt 

The Ghana Football Association (GFA), will on Monday, December 21, 2020, announce the fixtures for 2020/2021 Women's Premier League season.

The Women’s Premier League is scheduled to commence on Friday, January 15, 2020 following consultations with all stakeholders.

A statement from the GFA said “The GFA hereby informs Women’s Premier League clubs, referees, VMO’s and stakeholders to take note of the new date”.

The Ghana Women’s Premier League (WPL) is the top Division league for Women's football in Ghana.

It was first launched in 2012.

The league is played in two zones (Northern & Southern), after the league stage, winners of the two zones meet in a championship final to declare the Champions for the season.

GFA

Former Chairman of the Ghana Football Association, Lt. Col. Dr. Samuel Henry Brew-Graves will be laid to rest on Friday, December 18, 2020 at the military cemetery in Accra.

Lt. Col. Dr. Brew-Graves was Chairman of the GFA during the period of 1973-75. His passing occurred at the 37-military hospital on Sunday, November 1, 2020 after a short illness.

As a retired military officer, late Brew-Graves will be buried at Military cemetery in Accra.

Final funeral rites will be held at the VAG club house on Sunday, December 21, 2020.

The late Lt. Col. Dr. Samuel Henry Brew-Graves is credited for introducing the Gala competition.

He was 86. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

GFA

The Ghana Union of Traders' Association (GUTA) has expressed its displeasure with the transitional arrangement of the Ghana's Universal Pass (UNIPASS) system, which is costing the importer more than before.

The Association therefore wants the government to act quickly to fix the challenges, to bring operations at the port to normalcy with the enhanced efficiency, promised the business community.

A press statement signed by Dr. Joseph Obeng, its President, and copied to the media, he said prior to the introduction of the UNIPASS system, the Association was briefed on the efficiency that the new system would bring to enhance the clearing process at the ports.

"We recognise the fact that it is within the remit of the government to bring any system that will enhance trade facilitation and increase revenue for the state."

The statement said the Association was assured of a smooth transition and that the pilot programmes took place at other places other than the Tema Port and "this is why GUTA was mute and observing the trend of affairs".

It expressed its surprise that the system was full of challenges – causing delays, something that was putting financial strain on the importer, in terms of demurrage and rent charges.

"We want to know, who bears the cost of such charges of demurrage and rent, since the importer, is not the cause of the problems in the implementation of the new system", the statement added.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

Qualification points for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be on offer as Madagascar hosts the African Judo Championships.

The Championships is scheduled to begin on December 17 and run until Sunday (December 20).

Competition will be held in Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital city.

The African Judo Union (AJU) awarded Madagascar the event last month, with the organisation seeking to offer athletes’ an opportunity to earn qualification points for Tokyo 2020.

Winners in each weight division will earn 700 points.

The African Championships will offer qualification points for Tokyo 2020 ©African Judo Union

The African Championships will only feature senior events.

The AJU cancelled cadet, junior and kata events due to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Organisers said no effort has been spared in ensuring the safety of delegations, with 33 nations expected to take part.

The event has been organised under COVID-19 protocols outlined by the International Judo Federation.

By Michael Pavitt 

5 time champion Aidos Yerbossynuly defeated Ghana's Issah Samir by a round 2 TKO, to retain his WBC Asian Boxing Council, WBO Global and WBA International super middleweight titles.

The tall undefeated boxer improved his unblemished career record to 15-0, 10 KOs whilst condemning the Ghanaian to a first career defeat  (19-1, 16 KOs) - Wednesday night - 16/12/2020 - Nursultan, Kazakhstan.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

20 year old boxer Eslih Owusu is in Ghana to build his fan base and also seek spiritual guidance and support as he enters another phase of his ambition to become a world champion.

Born and bred in Massachusetts in the United States to an Ashanti dad and Fanti mum, his bravery is compared to an Accra boy who loves to fight and win, barring all odds.

USA based Ghanaian boxing coach, Okoe Odamtten who has handled Eslih since he was 14 says he is happy to introduce his future champion to Ghanaians, and hopes boxing lovers will support him.

He described the young southpaw as very dangerous with his jabs and upper cuts and straight punches.

According to Okoe Odamtten who guided Ike Bazooka Quartey to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) Welterweight championship belt in 1994, he is glad to be in Ghana with a budding talent who must be watched. He informed that there are other rising boxers under his tutelage in the USA.

Eslih Owusu who has won all his two fights comes up against experienced Ben Ankrah aka ‘Congo Soldier’ in Accra on Thursday, December 17, 2020.

He said it would be a good moment as he is prepared and focused. He thanked his management, Errol Hawk Management & Promotions and promised to have more fights in Ghana.

“In Okoe Odamtten, I have a coach who has seen it all, from the grassroot of Bukom to the top of world boxing and I also believe in myself to make it to the top” he said.

He named his idols as Pernell Whitaker, Lennox Lewis and Ike Bazooka Quartey.

Team Owusu was accompanied by Leon Desy, an American boxing enthusiast.

By Sammy Heywood Okine