Women In Sports

"It's important to improve condition for women's player."

"We do not set limits."

"I must confess that I wasn’t aware of where I was playing until it was over."

"The captain is the first to make a commitment to the objectives that are set internally, they have to lead by example to reinforce that."

"A great football team is the right balance and the right mixture of players.Good leaders, good communicators and good technicians.You need people that are strategically astute.People need passion, desire and most importantly, a willingness to keep learning."

"I think part of being a good coach is knowing how to extract the best from different people."

"I think any sport needs to be accessible, affordable and practiced within the confines of a safe environment.Parents who have young children want to be able to leave their child somewhere which has good facilities and where they're going to be looked after."

"Football was just the playing I enjoyed at first,but the longer you're playing the more it becomes a social event.You meet new people and make new friends.I still know some of the people I played with when I was 11-years-old, which is nice."

"In football I enjoyed competing and wanted to be the best.That was also part of it.There were quite a few factors.I loved the game,it was a great way to socialize and I liked playing against girls because it meant competing on a level playing field."

"It’s hard coming from such a family when you have to earn your place on any team. There were so many good riders.""

"I have been training for the whole year with my coach, though it has been difficult because it’s not easy to study and do sport at the same time, I want to do my best."

"If you want to make it as a sportsperson, become knowledgeable in the sport you want to participate in.Think about the sport and what it can offer in its entirety.You shouldn't want to become a professional sportsperson because of the money.There's a lot more to gain from being involved in sport. Work hard to get what you want.If it's your ambition, go for it.You don't have to be the best in the world to make it as an elite athlete.You need to be a grafter and be prepared to sacrifice."

"There are lots of positives to come out of playing all sports, not just football.Team games can offer you different life skills than an individual sport can.Football improves your time management you have to be places on time and disciplined in terms of training."

"I think you can learn lots of skills playing football.Team building is one.You also learn how to solve problems within your team. Sometimes you find yourself playing with players that you don't necessarily like, but you have to put your differences aside for the good of the team.It gives you skills that you may not appreciate at the time."

"In order to play some sports there's quite a big cost implication, whereas football is relatively cheap.All you need is a ball and a couple of jumpers to practice."

"I am pained that our female players are not matching up with their male counterparts in terms of standard and quality. When we started some years back, we were so disciplined and determined but these days, our players are not ready to work hard and maintain discipline. This is one of my priorities for now and that is why I will like to tutor them so that they can imbibe the characteristics that aided some of us to still be playing now."

"My most exciting time was when I won four gold medals for Nigeria at the 2003 All Africa Games with my child only six months old, and also winning the Africa championship in 2016."

"I was not happy that the ministry dropped the female team from going to the 2018 Commonwealth Games. I allowed it and some other factors to affect me in Kenya and I lost in the quarter-finals; I came fifth for the very first time."

"I always remember where I am coming from and the fact that for me to move up in life I have to be focused and steadfast. I am not a star, I just want to be the best."

"For the women, l think there are lots of up and coming players but the only thing they are lacking is exposure. They are a bit inexperienced such that they are doing it their own way. They need coaches that will guide them because the way they are playing here is not the same way they are playing abroad. There’s scientific approach to the game. We equally need better facilities. The tables we are using here are a bit slow to the ones that are used in international competitions. Our girls are coming up but they still have more to learn. Government must equally support the game."

"I represented my school at a competition and was honoured by the headmaster of the school, Mr G.O. Taiwo, who asked me to come out and said a lot of good things about me in front of my school mates. I decided on that day that I stood to gain everything from the game of table tennis, so I must remain focused to be counted among the best."

"He (my husband) is the reason why I am waxing stronger in the game because he did not ask me to replace my love for table tennis for him. He taught me how to multiply my love for table tennis and my family. I think my husband met me playing the game and l think the most important thing is love. He loves me so much and knows that l love table tennis so much. He has never for once, since we got married, attempted to stop me from playing the game. He appreciates what l do and would always be by my side when l am playing to give his support. I have a very good family and l am very proud of my family. Believe it or not, l don’t want to be in any other family than this and l thank God for that. I have a loving husband that can die for me and two wonderful boys that make me happy each passing day. I am happy and very satisfied."

"Table tennis gave me a better life."

"Always carry yourself in high esteem. You can be who you want to be with determination, dedication and discipline. Never allow anybody to pull you down. The world is like a rollercoaster, never give up on your dream. Stay away from negative people and anything or anyone that’s telling you that you can’t make it because you’re a woman. Remember, you’re you and you’re unique."

"I’ve been through racism, discrimination, violence and abuses from men. […] I’ve been through a lot in my life as a woman. I gave love but I was abandoned when I needed help – but all that I’ve been through made me better and stronger. I am a survivor!"

"Nobody can understand young female athletes more than female administrators and female coaches."

"Nothing gives me more joy than seeing all the young, poor players happy with the little I gave them."

"I started playing table tennis on bricks, then I moved to anything that looked like tables."

"I’ve been going through depression in my life and people don’t know this. They see me smile and play table tennis, but people can’t tell what I’m going through."

"It doesn’t affect me in any way because what I’m doing right now is to enjoy myself, to play good table tennis, to see that I am motivating all the younger women that in any situation they can still be what they want to be. Even married, unmarried, with children whatever they are going through even with age they can still be what they want to be."

"I was physically, sexually, emotionally and mentally abused. This man beat me for more than three years and I remember always going to UNILAG [University of Lagos] with a battered face but I still never gave up on TT, men or life."

"I won’t allow my kids to represent Nigeria of today. But if they want to, I won’t stop them."

"I'm the kind of person who doesn't really focus on more negativity. I'm a positive person, and I look at things in a positive way."

""There were remuneration accumulating from way back 2016 up until 2019, and one of the challenges was offsetting that of the present players in the team, and leaving out the ones that were no longer in the team, which I stood against. I can’t turn my back to such injustice because I’ve collected mine.”"

"Though I’ve had a successful career, I won’t entirely say I’m fulfilled because I still believe there’s room for improvement and that gets me working extra hard."

"Playing in France has been good. I feel very welcome here. I've been happy since I got here and things have really improved compared to the other places that I've played in in Europe. It all started in New Zealand though. Playing there in a FIFA-organised tournament was a great platform for me. The experience was very good and I thought if I could play at this level, I could play at the World Cup. I told myself: 'Why not go all the way?"

"We knew that we would probably have to win the game to progress, but I was injured and could not play. That was very frustrating, sitting on the sidelines and not being able to help the team."

"We got off to a winning start and that is a wonderful memory to have. We had a great side in that tournament and should have advanced to the second round."

"Beginning of a new chapter for a few more prints on the sands of time. The journey continues, this time in Asia."

"Fighting through in my youth, for father land, sweat and blood."

"When you wholeheartedly love a person, you work on those toxic traits, you learn to communicate, you listen to each others feelings, respect each other's decisions and encourage each other."

"You know, with all the hard work we put in everyday, we definitely aren’t the only ones that want the best things of life. But this is the real world, and in the real world some of us take what we can get. But the truth is, there’s literally nothing wrong in wanting more, cos some of us actually deserve more"

"Keep going and keep believing that your continuous work will one day pay. Blessed new week."

"There are things you are going to hear and face that might demolarize your efforts but take each one of them with a positive mindset and let them be a motivation to the things you want to achieve."

"I was drawn to the football pitch when I was eight years old. A journey inspired by my brothers who would allow me to go and watch them play football"

"Caster Semenya working on memoir, ‘Silence All the Noise’ : https://apnews.com/article/caster-semenya-book-f21d3b0ee4bce91dea726a9a566dad3b"

"QHAWE! Mokgadi Caster Semenya , ISBN: 978-1-4856-3072-2, May 2021, 260x210mm, 32 pages,"

"The Run For Life: Caster Semenya , December 17, 2019"

"Do not conform to the expectations others have of you, but forge your own path."

"In the face of adversity, let your spirit shine even brighter."