Ghana
After over 200 cyclists competed in this year’s Ride Afrique Accra Criterium at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday, Nigerian cyclist Joseph David Ayibakuro emerged victorious in the men’s race: displaying powerful and controlled cycling through the streets of Accra.
The men’s race consisted of 30 laps covering 105 kilometers, while the women’s race was 15 laps covering 52.5 kilometers. The winner of the women’s race has yet to be made public.
“I want to appreciate my teammates; they did everything for me,” Ayibakuro said. “The strategy we used was all about teamwork, so without the teamwork, I wouldn’t have been a winner today.”
The winners of the races received prizes in the form of cash, trophies, medals and products from sponsors. Ayibakuro will also have the opportunity to participate in a cycling exchange program in Spain.
“This exchange program will not only encourage more participants but also project Ghana’s cycling identity onto the international stage,” Richard Agu, CEO of Ride Afrique, said.
Ride Afrique, which began in 2019, aims to empower cyclists and promote the sport. Agu hopes to grow next year’s competition, giving participants an international platform to demonstrate their capabilities.
Spain
Spain’s National Court rejected a lawsuit from La Liga on Tuesday, deciding that protests by players, which delayed a series of games in October, were not illegal.
Players from several La Liga teams refused to play during the opening 15 seconds of games from Oct. 17-20, protesting the league’s plan to host a Villarreal CF home game against FC Barcelona in Miami. The Spanish Footballers’ Association, a union representing players in the case, cited La Liga’s lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence as reasons for the protests.
In the lawsuit, La Liga claimed that the protests cost the league about 8.7 million euros by disrupting “the integrity of the competitions” and “commitments made to broadcasters, clubs, and fans worldwide.” However, the court ruled the players’ actions had no impact on the games, as the matches were played to completion after the initial strike.
“This work stoppage, due to its short duration (10 seconds of a 90-minute period, excluding added time) and its negligible impact on the development of the fixtures, as all matches were played to completion without any incident beyond the action itself, cannot be classified or labeled a strike,” the court judgement read.
The league will now take the lawsuit to the country’s Supreme Court to protect the “integrity of the competition and its audiovisual rights.”
Oklahoma
A bus carrying the Oklahoma State University softball team fatally struck a 62-year-old woman on Wednesday en route to a game at Wichita State University.
The bus was traveling on Interstate 35 around 2 p.m when it collided with the woman, who was crossing the highway on foot. Witnesses initially alerted highway patrol of the woman’s behavior, as she was seen running in and out of traffic before the crash. The patrol received a second call less than a minute after the bus crash.
The northbound lanes of the highway were closed for over two hours as officials investigated the accident and reopened at 4:21 p.m.
No players or staff were injured, and the game against Wichita State was postponed until further notice, the university announced in a Wednesday statement.
The Cowgirls’ next game is on April 10 in Ames, IA, where they will face Iowa State University
Contact Emily Barbire at @[email protected].