Africa claims top positions in the Men's 800m and Women's 5000m.

David Rudisha of Kenya and his new world record

Now whoever said 13 was an unlucky number? The thirteenth day of the Olympics saw Africa claiming all three medals in the Men’s 800m. As was anticipated, the gold went to David Lekuta Rudisha of Kenya, who also set a new world record; the silver to Nijel Amos of Botswana and the bronze, Timothy Kitum, also of Kenya.

Africa also got a bronze medal in the Women’s Kayak Single (K1) 500m from South Africa’s Bridgitte Hartley.

In the Men’s 68kg event of the Taekwondo Tournament, David Boui of the Central African Republic put a really good fight to get to the Repechage contest, but lost to Nikpah Rohullah of Afghanistan.

Annabel Laure Ali of Senegal also lost out in the Repechage 2^nd Round of the Women’s 72kg Freestyle of the Wrestling Tournament.

Unfortunately the Africa Village still remains closed and with only one day left to the end of the Olympics, it is really a sad way to end such a great initiative. Visitors were seen turning back after they met the gates locked.

Day 14 saw another All-Africa line up, as the top 6 positions in the Women’s 5000m went to Ethiopia and Kenya, with Meseret Defar taking the gold, Vivian Jekpemoi Cheruiyot taking the silver and fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba taking the bronze.

In the Women’s Taekwondo 67kg category, Ruth Gbagbi made it to the Repechage contest before losing to Helena Fromm of Germany.

Also in the Men’s 55kg Freestyle Wrestling Tournament, Ibrahim Farag Abdelhakim Mohamed also made it to Round 1 of the Repechage contest before losing to Radosiav Marinov Velikov of Bulgaria.

Day 12, A Day of Close Calls

Yesterday Africa didn’t claim any medals, but there were some highly commendable efforts.

Isabelle Samboui of Senegal, missed the bronze medal, after she lost to Carol Huynh of Canada in the Women’s 48kg Freestyle in the Wrestling Tournament.

 

Tamer Bayoumi of Egypt also got to the Repechage contest and lost to Pen-Ek Karaket of Thailand in the Men’s 58kg category of the Taekwondo Tournament.

For qualifiers, Anaso Jobodwana of South Africa qualified for the final of the Men’s 200m.

Abeba Aregawi of Ethiopia and Onsando Hellen Obiri of Kenya will run in the Women’s 1500m final.

Yego Julius of Kenya set a national record of 81.81 and qualified by performance for the final of the Men’s Javelin Throw.

Africa Village Has Been Shut Down

Richard Spiropoulos, PANA TV executive producer at the Africa Village sends in this report:

"The Olympic Africa Village inside London’s Hyde Park has been shut down until further notice. At the moment no one seems to know when the Village will be re-opened. With just four days left until the end of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, it really is a case of extraordinarily bad timing.

The Africa Village is an initiative of ANOCA, an association of African Olympic Committees. The London 2012 Olympic Games is the first time African nations have a unique place to host and welcome their athletes and visitors.

According to sources questioned at the scene, it wasn’t a security scare or a health violation that shut down what until just yesterday had been a triumph for ANOCA and the entire continent…

…And it wasn’t the seven Cameroonian athletes who suddenly went missing on Tuesday. The problem boiled down to one thing and one thing only - money.

According to organizers who refused to go public, people simply weren’t getting paid. PANA Television talked to staff that hadn’t been paid since the village opened on July 28^th.

The French-based company Pixcom, which seems to be in charge inside the Africa Village, claimed that it was closed "for technical reasons" and that details would follow.

So with facilities including toilets shut down, no power, and limited security personnel, the Africa Village has had to shut its doors to the public, while the organizers are meeting behind closed doors to decide where to go from here.

A press release is expected later today. Many people are speculating that the village may open again as quickly as tomorrow, but others aren’t crossing their fingers.

Today was supposed to be Morocco day, and the North African nation had prepared a bonanza to showcase their country, featuring the finest Moroccan jewelry, choice fabrics, dancers and singers who had rehearsed extensively to represent their country with pride.

Instead, they arrived at a Village with locked gates and stone-faced security guards.

According to sources in the kitchens, Moroccan chefs had also prepared a superb feast to give visitors a real taste of Morocco.

Now all that food is going to waste and a lot of angry visitors are going home, including visitors from Britain and around the world who had skipped work or taken a day off not just to experience Africa inside London’s Hyde Park, but also to enjoy the unity, sportsmanship and camaraderie that had been on full display since the Africa Village threw its doors open.

Throughout the games, the Africa Village has been a celebration of a continent poised to be the next great thing and it seemed to have been running impeccably.

The general belief was that the success of the village could become a precursor for an African nation to host the Olympics and Paralympics in the very near future.

The sudden turn of events seems to have come out of nowhere and has people scratching their heads, clueless.

Many people are hoping that it’s just a temporary snafu and it will be back to business as usual come Thursday, but others are calling it a disaster and an embarrassment for Africa, and something they had expected all along.

We at PANA TV are hoping the naysayers are all proved wrong – and that music and the festival kick off again to celebrate Morocco Day on Thursday."

Africa on Day 11 at the Olympics

Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria

With just four more days to go, two more medals were added to Africa’s kitty on Tuesday. Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria won the gold medal in the Men’s 1500m, while fellow African Abdalaati Iguider of Morocco claimed the bronze.

Sunette Viljoen of South Africa qualified for the Final of the Women’s Javelin Throw which will take place on Thursday.

Tosin Oke of Nigeria was the only African athlete to qualify for the final of the Men’s Triple Jump, also taking place on Thursday.

It’s no surprise that the East Africans dominated the top of the list of those who qualified for the final of the Women’s 5000m which will hold on Friday. Tirunesh Dibaba, Mesert Defar, and Gelete Burka of Ethiopia; and Jelagat Viola Kibiwot, Jepkemoi Vivian Cheruiyot and Jepkosgei Sally Kipyego of Kenya are Africa’s representatives in the race.

It’s also a very promising lineup for the final of the Men’s 800m as Mohammed Aman of Ethiopia, David Lekuta Rudisha and Timothy Kitum of Kenya, Abubaker Kaki of Sudan, and Nijel Amos of Botswana all made the top 5 in the semifinal.

In the Men’s 200m heats, Anaso Jobodwana made it to the 6^th position and will compete in the semifinal today.

Murielle Ahaoure of Cote d’Ivoire also qualified for the final of the Women’s 200m. Murielle has shown such promise and consistency in this event.

Lehann Fourie of South Africa and Selim Nurudeen of Nigeria made it through to the semifinals of the Men’s 110m Hurdles.

Stay with www.panatelevision.com and www.facebook.com/panatv for information and updates on Africa’s performance at the Olympics.

Henna Tatoos, Belly Dancers and More Egyptian Culture on Egypt Day at Africa Village

We brought you the highlights from the Nigeria day, and now it’s time to let you in on the Egypt Day. Richard Spiropoulos, executive producer at PANA TV, shares his experience.

“It was a celebration of Egyptian heritage inside the Africa Village in Hyde Park, last weekend.

Nigeria had had her day to shine, a few days earlier and everyone present agreed Nigerian Day was going to be a tough act to follow.

The Egyptians decided they were up to the task, and put on a display of arts, culture, history and music to showcase the finer points of one of the oldest civilizations known to man.

Belly dancers, stage dancers, musicians and singers graced the stage all day, opening a window for visitors in the park to catch a glimpse of what it is to be Egyptian in the 21^st century.

They put up a tourism clinic that could add a huge spike to the number of people looking to visit or vacation there.
The country is recovering from more than forty years of dictatorship rule and is on a mission to re-introduce itself to the world.
This event inside the Africa Village - the first ever in Olympic history - was the right platform.
Visitors to the event also received henna tattoos and picked up an assortment of Egyptian memorabilia.

Empress1, the self-styled nation’s first militant Egyptian rapper also dropped in.

The arts, history, culture, music and hospitality were a triumph and displayed what it means to be infinitely Egyptian.

While the Egyptians were in the spotlight, First Bank, the oldest bank in Nigeria, and a proud sponsor of Team Nigeria during the 2012 Olympics, was lighting up Nigeria’s Wazobia lounge.

Organizers hosted First Bank day to mark their shared vision and full support for the village and Nigeria’s athletes.

First Bank is a major partner of the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) and Official Banker of Team Nigeria during this 30th Olympiad.
They made sprinter, Blessing Okagbare an Athletics ambassador.
They provided a full banquet of assorted Nigerian dishes to all visitors, and the spread didn’t last as visitors devoured it as quickly as it was laid out.

According to Bukie Oluyadi, Head of Internal Communications, First Bank is making a big push to welcome Nigerians in the Diaspora.
The bank used the event to announce to Nigerians living away from home that they could now open accounts with First Bank even in England. All it takes is a valid passport and proper identification.
 … And while Nigerians and their guests partied inside the lounge, the Egyptians continued their celebration outside.

Morocco is expected to take centre stage tomorrow.

The Africa Village is an initiative of ANOCA, an association of Africa Olympic Committee. The London 2012 Olympic Games is the first time, African nations have a unique place to host and welcome their athletes and visitors.
About 16 African countries including Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Cameroon are relishing this opportunity to showcase their cultural, artistic and sporting greatness.
Pana TV is at the scene every day, all day with the latest news.
Visit our facebook page, www.facebook.com/panatv, and click on our youtube channel for a gallery of exclusive videos and interviews from the 2012 Olympics right here in London.”

Ten Days and 15 Medals

The 10^th day of the Olympic Games had us winning some more medals – and not just in athletics alone. As at Monday, the 6^th of August, Africa’s total medal count stands at 15, with 7 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze.

Karam Mohamed Gaber Ebrahim of Egypt won a silver medal in the men's Greco-Roman 84 kg Wrestling Tournament.

The recent medals in athletics come from the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, where Habiba Ghribi of Tunisia won the silver medal and Sofia Assefa of Ethiopia took the bronze.

Karam Mohamed Gaber Ebrahim of Egypt

Ahed Jughli of Egypt may not have won a medal in the Men’s 105kg Weightlifting Tournament, but he made the 6^th position.

Abdelrahman Eltrabily of Egypt also made it to the Repechage and Bronze contest in the Men’s 120kg Greco-Roman Wrestling Tournament.

Some medal hopefuls include: Abubaker Kaki of Sudan, Timothy Kitum of Kenya, Nijel Amos of Botswana and Olympic favourite, David Lekuta Rudisha, who qualified in the top three positions for the semi finals of the Men’s 800m taking place today.

The first round in the Women’s 1500m took place yesterday. Ethiopia’s Abeba Aregawi topped the list of qualified athletes for the semifinals while Helen Onsando Obiri of Kenya stood in fourth place. The semifinals will take place on Wednesday.

The semifinals of the 200m are scheduled to take place today and will have Murielle Ahoure of Cote d’Ivoire representing Africa. Murielle came in second place during the heats on Monday.

In the Women’s 400m Hurdles, Muizat Ajoke Odumosu of Nigeria will be competing in the finals on Wednesday. She is also the only African athlete to have made it to the semifinals.

Mohamed Ali Mrabet of Tunisia qualified for the final of the Men’s Kayak Single (K1), which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday. The final of the Men’s Canoe Single also has Ndiatte Uueye of Senegal and Fortunato Pacavira of Angola competing.

Best of luck to all our African semifinalists!!!

Hurray for the Tunisian Men’s Handball team and the South African Women’s Hockey Team as they proceed to the quarterfinals!

Tunisia defeated Argentina 25:23 in their last preliminary match of Group A, they will now face Croatia in the brackets on the 8^th of August.
South Africa defeated USA 7:0 and will face Japan on the 8^th of August.

On a farewell note, the Nigerian Men’s Basketball team lost to France in a 73:79 points count; Tunisia also lost to Lithuania, 63:76.

The Tunisian Men’s Volleyball team will also not be progressing to the brackets. They encountered a 0:3 loss to the United States.

In the Women’s Fly category of the Boxing Tournament, Maroua Rahali lost out in the quarterfinals to Mery Chungneijang Hmangte of India; 6:15. Mahjouba Oubtil of Morocco lost to Adriana Araujo of Brazil 12:16; and in the Women’s Middle, Nigeria’s Edith Ogoke lost to Nadezda Torlopova of the Russian Federation, 8:18.

In the Men’s Super Heavy, Mohammed Arjaoui of Morocco lost his quarterfinal match to Roberto Cammarelle of Italy.

Stay logged on to www.panatelevision.com and visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/panatv for more updates!