Men’s singles defending champion, Ahmed Adeyinka believes nothing can prevent him from holding onto the title he had held for two years, at the 48th annual Asoju Oba Molade Okoya-Thomas Cup, holding at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
Adeyinka, a member of the Lagos gold medal-winning team at the 2012 National Sports Festival told NationSport that his participation in the just concluded NTTF National Championship has put him in a good frame for the tournament.
“I think I can retain the title again this year because I don’t see anybody stopping me from retaining the title. I had won it in 2014 and 2015 and for me this year will not be an exception. But I must also admit that I won’t play to the gallery because there are several good players that will be aiming for the title as well. I am hoping that I can also inscribe my name in the annals of the competition’s history. It was out former coach that is still holding the record as the most successful player in the competition and I hope I can also meet up with his feat. There is no doubt that the NTTF National Championships has prepared most of the players for the championship,” Adeyinka vowed.
As the men and women singles event will begin, the cadet and junior events enters crucial stage and the tournament grand finale holds on Friday November 25.
Since 1968, the tournament has been staged for 48 years uninterrupted and it remains the longest running competition which has also produced some of the great stars for the continent. The likes of Atanda Musa, late Yomi Bankole, Bose Kaffo and current African women singles champion, Olufunke Oshonaike were former champions of the tournament which started in 1968.
Tag: NationSport
-
Adeyinka vows to retain ‘Asoju Oba Molade Okoya-Thomas’ title
-
NationSport’s Okusan makes 2016 Nigerian Sports Award nominees list
The NationSport Senior Correspondent, Olalekan Okusan has made the list of nominees for the Sports Journalist of the Year 2016 (Print) of this year’s Nigerian Sports Award.
In a letter signed by the secretary of the award panel, Kayode Idowu, Okusan was nominated alongside four others in the category.
Okusan, the 2012 Sports Journalist of the Year of the annual Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) was nominated by the public and the winner is expected to be named on December 2 at the Banquet Hall of Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
“We are pleased to inform you that you have been nominated for SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR 2016 (PRINT) category along with other colleagues in the Nigerian Sports Award 2016. The event will hold on the 2nd of December, 2016 at The Banquet Hall of Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos from 6pm Prompt. For the judging process, you are expected to submit any three (3) works of yours published between November 2015 and November 2016. Deadline for submission is Sunday, November 27, 2016. We, therefore, say congratulations and wish you continued success,” Idowu said.
In 2015, Okusan was also listed by an online medium – Ynaija.com as one of the most powerful young people in sports.
“Formerly of the Guardian newspapers, but now with The Nation, Olalekan Okusan is one of the hardest working sports reporters in the country, devoting time and energy to comprehensive coverage of the often underserved Tennis beat. A past winner of the Sports Business Media Award Sports Writer of the Year prize, Okusan commands a lot of clout in his field and has helped countless talents secure much needed press coverage,” the website wrote.
-
I’m not done with national team – Toriola
- Targets Tokyo 2020
The first African to feature in seven Olympic Games, Segun Toriola believes he still a lot to offer in terms of his experience.
The former African champion told NationSport on Monday in Lagos that his decision to continue with the national team was based on his passion for the sport that has brought him fame and fortune.
“I think I can still continue playing for the national team because this is all I know how to do. Table tennis is my passion and I cannot be specific on when I would stop playing because my body can still carry me. I might be old in terms of age but when it comes to the game I am active. The motivation of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) coupled with the need to support the upcoming players is some of the things that inspired me to continue playing the game,” Toriola said.
However, Toriola is hoping to be part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. “I am still one of the best in my sport despite my age and my consistency in table tennis which sees me playing in two top regular clubs in Europe would remain an added advantage for me as I continue to play in world class competitions,” said Toriola.
He added: ““Being 42 years old is one thing-being fit enough to continue playing top table tennis is another.” He continued, “I am very discipline and I religiously follow the things that will continue to aid my fitness in the game. Come Tokyo 2020, I will still be good to represent Nigeria in top grade international competitions until after the Tokyo Olympics.”
It would be recalled that Toriola was one of the stars at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as the Nigerian was honoured by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) for his feat as the first table tennis and African athlete to compete at seven Olympic Games.
-
Olympics: Expect surprise from Team Nigeria – Taylor
If there is anyone that believes in the potential of Team Nigeria at Rio 2016 Olympic Games, it is the High Performance Director, Angie Taylor, who spoke confidently on the ability of the West African contingent to spring surprise in Brazil.
Taylor, a former American athlete and national coach told NationSport that Nigerians should not be sceptical about the ability of Team Nigeria to claim medal unlike what happened at the London 2012 in Great Britain.
“I can understand that doubt that Nigerians had about their team, but I want to tell you that Nigerian athletes have the potential to claim medals at Rio because it is the majority of athletes that performed well at the 2014 Commonwealth Games that will also be in Rio. So everybody has been training well for the games so we should not be worried. The athletes know what it means to compete at the Olympic Games and they are well ready for the games,” Taylor said.
She is optimistic that the team would pick medals in Brazil. “I am sure they can win medals so we should not exercise doubt as the team compete with the rest of the world in Brazil. Let us wait and see what will happen.”
-
Team Nigeria departs for Davis Cup tournament in Madagascar
The Team Nigeria four-man team led non-playing Captain, Benson Isicheli will today depart for the 2016 Africa Zone Group lll of the 2016 Davis Cup tournament holding at the Antananarivo University in Madagascar.
The team is expected to compete against nine other countries for the two slots aiming for promotion to Group ll in 2017.
The continent is a mixture of youthfulness and experience as current national champion, Moses Michael as well as Sylvester Emmanuel and experienced Abdulmumin Babalola and Shehu Lawal will represent Nigeria at the six-day tournament.
A confident Emmanuel told NationSport that he is optimistic that the team has the quality and the determination to break the jinx of playing in Group lll in the last six years.
“I am confidence that with the quality of the team we can make it this time around. We just need to be focused and fight for every game. I am so excited making the team again after playing in 2014. I hope and believe we can change things for better by gaining promotion to Group ll,” Emmanuel said.
Nigeria will battle for the two slots against Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Cameroun, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia and host – Madagascar. The 10 teams will be drawn into two pools with each pool made up of five teams. The two tops teams in each group advance to the semifinal stage while the finalists are promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2017.
Nigeria’s last appearance in the tournament was in 2014 and the team finished sixth after losing 2-1 to Benin in a positional play-off, while Nigeria’s best Davis Cup performances have been semifinal finishes in Europe/Africa Zone Group I, in 1988 and 1989.
-
ITTF Nigeria Open: It’s tougher to win this year – Quadri admits
Having played in his first final of the annual ITTF Premier Lotto Nigeria Open in 2015, Aruna Quadri admitted that despite the absence of three-time winner, Egypt’s Omar Assar, clinching the title might be a bit tougher this year.
The 2014 ITTF Star Player told NationSport from his base in Portugal that the presence of top players from Europe would make it more competitive for all participants, adding that ranking does not win matches.
“I must admit that the level of play this year will for sure improve considering the quality of players on the entry list. It’s going to be more difficult this year and I am hoping to be in my best form in order to make my country and my fans proud at home,” he admitted.
The 2016 African champion, however, said the absence of the Egyptian superstar would not take away the glamour and colour of the tournament, adding that his presence would have improved the tournament’s standard.
“I don’t think that the absence of Omar Assar will take away the shine off the competition rather the presence of top players from Europe will bring more glamour and make it more competitive this year. I must also say that it will be rather hard to win the title this year, unlike in the past that the tournament was dominated by African players,” he said.
He enthused: “My target is to do so much better than last year, but it is not going to be easy at all because we are having more better European players on the list and some Asian players as well and South American players.”
Apart from the competitive nature of the championship this year, the status of the tournament has been raised with the quality of players competing this year and this Quadri believes would help the local players. “The presence of more European players this time around means that ITTF Premier Lotto Nigeria Open is now gaining ground and getting more popular than before as more players around the world are also showing interest from the list of participants,” he said.
A confident Quadri however, said, “Yes of course, it is very possible to win the title this time around but it is not going to be an easy task. It is going to be a tough tournament for all and I pray God to be on my side from the beginning to the end.”
-
Tennis: Team Nigeria knows olympics fate next week
The fate of Team Nigeria to win the continent’s sole slot in the men’s table tennis team event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be decided next week after the May 2016 ranking is released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
After its excellent performance at the World Team Championship in Malaysia, Team Nigeria has edged out Egypt from the slot to be listed as the highest rated men’s team from Africa.
According to the Olympics qualification system issued by ITTF, One (1) team from each continent (6 teams) will be selected as follows: “For each continent, the highest ranked team in the May 2016 ITTF Olympic Team Ranking list, which has an NOC and a total of two (2) athletes qualified through any of the Olympic qualification methods, will receive one (1) additional athlete quota place from the Team Quota (22 places in total) to form a team of three (3) athletes.”
It added: “In the event that, within a given continent no NOC has qualified two athletes, then the highest ranked team, based on the May 2016 ITTF Olympic Team Ranking list, with one single athlete qualified through any of the Olympic qualification methods will receive two additional athlete quota places from the Team Quota to form a team of three athletes. If the jurisdiction of an NOC covers more than one (1) ITTF affiliated member, the ranking of the highest ranked affiliated member of that NOC in the May 2016 ITTF Olympic Team Ranking list will be taken into account for qualification purposes.
In the Olympic team ranking released in April, Nigeria occupied 26th place to be the best rated men’s team from Africa, while Egypt was second placing 32nd in the rating.
At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Egypt beat Nigeria to the slot for the first time as Nigeria has won the slots since 1992 when table tennis became medal hauling event at the Olympic Games.
However, the President, African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled El-Salhy, had told NationSport in Algiers recently that Nigeria may pick the slot ahead of Egypt in the men’s event while Egypt will represent the continent in the women team event.
“Thus as per the published ITTF ranking list as of April 2016, the current situation now is that for men, Nigeria is in front to take the qualification card for team event in Rio with position no. 26 while Egypt is coming next with position no. 32. For the women, Egypt is in front to take the qualification card for team event in Rio with position no. 31 while Nigeria is coming next with position no. 40. This is for sure in case the application to count on ranking of April 2016, while we have to wait as the ranking list of May is the one to be taken into consideration after adding some more points through Kuwait, Qatar and Polish Opens,” the ATTF boss said.
-
Siasia mother’s kidnap: Family decries neglect
- Pleads for coach to focus on national assignment
Ten days after gunmen kidnapped Madam Ogere Siasia, mother of ex-international and current coach of the Nigeria Under 23 national team, Dream Team IV, Samson Siasia, at Odoni Community of Sagama Local Council in Bayelsa State, the family is yet to meet up with the demand of the kidnappers while they plead with the government not to abandon the family in its trying period.
According to a sibling of the coach, Dennis Siasia, the family is yet to hear from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Bayelsa State Government as well as the Federal Government on the fate of their mother as the kidnappers insist on a N60m ransom.
Contacted by NationSport, Dennis said: “It is disheartening that the NFF has not deemed it fit to get in touch with the family since the incident happened last week. They were only talking to Samson, who is far away in Gambia for national assignment, and, for us, we think this is not the appropriate thing to do as this might distract the coach from doing his job. For now, it is only the family they are supposed to have contacted because the coach is not here and they just need to leave him to focus on his duty because if the team fails to qualify they will blame him.
“The last time we spoke to the kidnappers was on Saturday, when they said they would bury Mama if we failed to meet their demand and we told them that we don’t have the kind of money they are requesting for as we were only able to raise N600, 000, from their voice, they were angry. As at this morning (Tuesday) they have not called and we have not heard from them. Although we spoke to Mama and I think she is okay.”
The younger Siasia, however, acknowledged the efforts of the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) since the incident occurred. “I must tell you that the CP and DSS Director have been working with the family on this and this has been how far we had gone. I must let them realise that Samson has served this country as a player, and now he is a coach on national assignment in Gambia and I don’t think he needs any distraction for now in Gambia.”
Last Monday, three gunmen abducted Mrs Ogere Siasia at their family house in Bayelsa and whisked her away on a motorcycle.