With the plan to stage the 3rd Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open in Lagos later this month, Paralympians Isau Ogunkunle and Faith Obazuaye could not hide their excitement on their prospect of competing at top levels in front of their fans.
Ogunkunle, a former African champion who debuted at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games believes the tournament would help him to get back in shape after the Tokyo experience.
“I am so excited that we are having to play another top-class tournament after Tokyo 2020. It was at this same competition we prepared for Tokyo and this time around we have players coming up and it is another chance to show why I am the best in the class,” he said.
For Obazuaye, a Commonwealth silver medalist, the tournament has remained the only rallying point for top players in the country. I believe we are using this tournament to get our shape in top form for major events and I must commend the sponsors for keeping faith with the yearly sponsorship. I am looking forward to retaining my title again this year,” she said.
Top players within and outside Nigeria are expected to compete at the tournament this year with plans by the organisers to invite top players from Benin Republic and Togo this year.
For Anderson Bankole, a board member of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), the tournament continues to grow in leaps and bounds especially with new players coming through with some of them making it to the top 10 in the latest world ranking.
“I must commend the sponsors for sustaining the sponsorship this year and I hope our players can make use of this tournament to improve themselves and we are also hoping that the tournament would get listed by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in 2022,” he said.
Bankole, a member of the ITTF Para Commissions is also optimistic that some new players would emerge from the competition this year.
For the coordinator of the tournament, Sunday Odebode, the organisers are making frantic efforts to ensure that the tournament is listed as a ranking event by ITTF.
To certify the tournament, the world table tennis ruling body representative is expected in Lagos for this year’s event with the aim of getting the tournament listed as a ranking tournament in 2022.
The three-day championship is being organised by Sunday Odebode Foundation in collaboration with the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) with support from the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC).
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