The 45th Annual Asoju-Oba Table Tennis Championships will for a long time be remembered for the innovation it came with and gift of cars that were reminiscent of the 1984 and 2009 editions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition has been solely sponsored uninterruptedly by a business mogul, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, in memory of his late father.
In 1984, the tournament gave out a Peugeot 504 saloon car to the winner of the male category, Attanda Musa, who defeated the late Yomi Bankole popularly called the “Hawk’’, in the singles event.
The winner of the 2009 edition of the competition, Seun Ajetumobi, now a foreign-based professional, benefitted from the largesse of the philanthropist. He won a Renault Saloon Car for defeating Gbenga Anthony in the male category.
Ganiat Ogundele, winner of the female event of that year, also received a Renault car after defeating Atinuke Oladele.
This year, the winners in both categories, Olajide Omatayo in the male category, and Tolu Durosimi-Etti in the female, were given Chevrolet Saloon cars and N30,000 each. The competition was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
Omotayo defeated Olayiwola Mojeed 4-1 to lift the title after a tie, ending the contest in 11-6, 14-12, 11-8, 6-11 and 11-8.
Durosimi-Etti, who shed tears of joy as she received the car from Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, out-served Williams Taiwo 4-1, ending the contest 11-7, 11-2, 9-11, 11-6 and 11-6.
The runners-up in both categories, Shobayo Bolaji and Adeyinka Hammed in the men’s and Hassan Funke and Udoh Ayo, received N20, 000 and a refrigerator each.
The innovation in the championships is that physically challenged players were admitted into the competition for the first time, and winners rewarded with N10,000 each.
The winners in both categories are Ogunbona Ahmed, who defeated Damilola Owoyele in the male, and Oluchi Onokam who beat Gloria James 3-0. There is no doubt that the competition which has always attracted table tennis fans from Lagos and beyond is an avenue for the state to produce world beaters.
Thus, one is not in doubt as to why the state is in the forefront of the game in Nigeria, and has products of the championships plying their trade in different countries.
It is noteworthy that, at the last National Sports Festival, tagged “Eko 2012” staged by Lagos State, the host led the medals table chart with gold medals in the men and women singles, women and men doubles, men’s team event and mixed doubles. Lagos State had led the chart in the 2011 edition of the festival in Port-Harcourt.
Some of the foreign-based professionals are Seun Ajetumobi, who plays in Portugal, Monday Merotoun in Spain and Ganiat Ogundele in Italy. From the foregoing, it is instructive that other states and the Federal Capital Territory begin to seek ways of lifting the game or other sports in their respective domains.
Meanwhile, some participants at the championships commended the sponsor and called for the competition’s sustenance.
Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Social Development, applauded Okoya-Thomas for his commitment to the development of table tennis in the state and the country at large.
Enitan-Oshodi described Okoya-Thomas as a patriotic sports enthusiast.
He added: “The Asoju-Oba Championships are the only constant tournament that gives hope to Lagos table tennis players and produce numerous professionals.’’
A player, Ashimiyu Ganiyu, told NAN that he was impressed with the large turnout of players and officials at the five-day championships.
Ganiyu said: “From my own observation, this is the first time that this tournament is recording such a remarkable number of spectators and players. The seasoned officials did a good job.’’ He expressed the hope that the championships would live beyond the sponsor.
Ranti Lajide, an International Table Tennis Federation umpire, told NAN that the championships provided a platform for identification of a large number of upcoming talents.
“The competition has been yielding dividends at the grassroots; it has always provided the opportunity to identify upcoming talents,’’ Lajide said.
For a para table tennis player, Oluchi Onoja, the inclusion of physically challenged players in the 2013 edition is commendable.
• Ifeanyichukwu wites for NAN
She pleaded for continuity of the championships, saying that it would afford physically challenged persons the opportunity to attain their goals.
