The 3rd edition of the annual Lagos Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open kicks off today at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
Top players including Paralympians are expected in 45 events at the three-day championships, aimed at shapping up the players for major competitions, especially the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
For the chairman of Para division of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Anderson Bankole, the tournament has again proved that Nigeria has the talents to compete with the rest of the world considering the performance of the country at global tournament.
Specifically, Bankole, who is also a member of the ITTF Para Commission, lauded the sponsors, Valuejet, for keeping faith with the tournament amidst the global meltdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am happy that we are having this tournament again this year, especially with what our players did at the ITTF tournament in France. Now, with this kind of competition, our players will be able to compete against themselves and it will also help us to rank our players. I am also happy that Valuejet has decided to remain committed to the sport and I hope others will take a cue,” Bankole said.
The Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku, reaffirmed the commitment of the state to supporting the athletes while urging the athletes to aim high and continue to work harder in their bid to become world beaters.
“We want to continue to raise the bar as a state and we believe hosting the tournament will affirm our position as the continent’s sports hub. We will continue to play a leading role in sports by discovering and encouraging athletes to aim high. We believe tournament like this will provide the platform for the athletes to showcase their athletes as well as sharpen their skills,” Aiyepeku said.
For the ITTF representative, Francisco Nutzo, staging of this tournament this year will help the world body to ascertain the readiness of Nigeria to be considered as one of the host of major para tournaments in 2022.
“Nigeria is a well known nation in table tennis and I am not surprised with what I am seeing. I hope that at the end of the tournament can be listed by ITTF in 2022,” the Italian said.
In her remarks, Adedamola Akingbule, head of Corporate Communications of Valuejet, there are plans to continue to grow the championship annually.
The tournament, organised by the Sunday Odebode Sports Foundation with technical support from NTTF in collaboration with the Lagos State Sports Commission, ends on Saturday, December 18.
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