Tag: tennis

The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja ,  is bubbling  ahead of  the  46th  edition  of the  Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Senior Tennis open Championship which holds between July  21 and  26  at the tennis courts of  the package ‘B’ of the Moshood Abiola  National Stadium.

Speaking in Abuja ahead of the championship on Wednesday, the CBN’s Acting Director Corporate Communications Director, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, reaffirmed the Banks long Standing commitment to nation building, nothing the vital role young people play in  national development ” over the years”. “This championship has helped young talents , providing them with a constructive outlet and chance to showcase their God given talents and abilities on the national stage,” she said.

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With its over four-decade of existence , the championship which is on record as Nigeria’s biggest tennis tournament has produced stars that have represented and still representing the country  in big international championships like the Davis Cup and the African Games thus  become a cornerstone in Nigeria’s sports history.

Organized by the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) in partnership with the CBN, the tournament is a key platform for identifying and nurturing domestic future talents for the country and this year’s event isn’t going to be anything different considering the excitement in the air since the announcement of this year’s championship.

Notable among the celebrated tennis players produced by this Championship are, David Imonite, Sunday Maku, Veronica Oyibokia-Iwebema, Christy Agugbom, Sera Adegoke, Sylvester Emmanuel, Imeh Joseph, Oyinlomo Quadri and Mary love Edwards among others.

Meanwhile, the draw chat has 64 men’s singles and 32 women’s singles

 in each category while the men’s and women’s doubles have 32 players in each category not forgetting the wheel chair category which has 16 players in each in the men’s singles and women’s singles class. With the unpredictability being the hallmark in the men’s singles category, it will be a different ball game in the women’s singles category where it is expected to be a bull battle fight between two US based players,  Oyinlomo Quadri, former CBN champion/  National Sports Festival champion  and the high rising CBN defending Champion, Mary-Love Edward, both are products of the CBN Junior Tennis championships where they were actually discovered at various stages of the completion. They were nurtured and reigned supreme at various  stages of the event before making waves at the senior level.

Nigeria’s sports hub, the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, would be a beehive of activities  between June 23 and 25 as it hosts the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF) National Table Tennis and Swimming Championships.

The three-day event will bring together student-athletes from across the country, all vying for a spot on Team Nigeria for the inaugural African School Games, scheduled for July 2025 in Algeria.

Organized by the NSSF, the championships will serve as a key selection platform for the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)-backed continental event.

To ensure a successful event, the Nigeria Aquatic Federation and the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) are providing technical support, working closely with the NSSF to build a strong national contingent.

The table tennis event will be held from Monday (June 23) to Tuesday (June 24) while the swimming championship will begin on Tuesday (June 24) and ends on Wednesday (June 25).

According to Dr. Oba Funsho Usman, Secretary of the NSSF, the tournament is a strategic opportunity to discover and nurture young talents while preparing them for international exposure.

“We are fully aware of Nigeria’s rich pool of sporting talent. At NSSF, our goal is to create a level playing field for students nationwide to showcase their abilities. This tournament is not just about competition—it’s about giving every student a chance to be seen, supported, and developed into future stars,” Usman said.

He emphasized that the event aligns with the federation’s broader mission of exposing students to elite-level competition beyond Nigeria’s borders.

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“We’ve invited teams from across the country, and we’re confident this will provide a valuable platform for athletes to test themselves against their peers. With the involvement of national technical crews, we’re ensuring that the best talents are identified and prepared for the African School Games in Algeria.”

All participating teams are expected to arrive early to complete registration ahead of the tournament’s kick-off on Monday, June 23.

The first-ever African School Games, organized by ANOCA, will take place in Algeria between  July 26  and  August 5. The multi-sport event will be hosted across the cities of Constantine, Sétif, Skikda, and Annaba, featuring over 3,000 young athletes aged 14–17 competing in 25 different sports disciplines.

The 1986/92 set of the Government College Ibadan has concluded plans to stage a table tennis event in the school as part of its giving back to the school project.

The tournament, being proposed to be an annual event will be staged in the school premises on October 30th and 31st, 2025.

Interestingly, most of the old students behind the project are based abroad but they are passionate about sports especially the ping pong game.

The Closed Table Tennis Championship tagged ‘Battle of the Century” will be competed for on the House basis in the school.

Charles Olayinka, one of the ’86/92 set members told our correspondent that seven to-notch officials are expected to take charge of proceedings just as Ibadan based table tennis guru, Wale Ajetunmobi, has been tipped as the coordinator of the project.

And so, Carr House, Field House, power House, Swanson House and Grier House will slug it out against one another in the maiden table tennis extravaganza which promises to be highly explosive.

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Ajetunmobi told our correspondent that the tournament would be a great avenue to further boost the catch them young initiative of many table tennis lovers in the country.

“People have been talking about the players that will take over from the current players in the scene. Aruna Quadri is doing well and we need a replacement. Tournaments like the forthcoming event will help to boost our drive in our target to raise future champions for Nigeria.

“The Old Students of Government College Ibadan are passionate about table tennis and so we are going to stage a spectacle to celebrate them and the young ones expected to be at the event,” Ajetunmobi said.

Attractive prizes await the winners of the competition juts as the organisers are already reaching out to potential sponsors to boost the overall Organisation or the closed table tennis championships.

An intensive two-day coaching clinic to kick off the 2^nd  Daniel Ford Elite Youth Table Tennis Invitational Championships  holding between Wednesday,   December 18 and Thursday, December 19 at the National Training Centre of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

According to Adesoji Tayo, Vice President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), the sponsor decided to include the coaching clinic this year to better prepare the athletes for the main event  slated for December 20 and 21.

Tayo said:  “We are excited that our sponsors are taking a special interest in the real development of the players, having observed some top stars across the globe. With their generosity, they have added an extra two days to the tournament this year, with the first two days dedicated to the coaching clinic led by national coaches, including Dotun Omoniyi.

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“ This training will surely help the players to be in top shape for the main event and bring out their best. We hope they will take advantage of this opportunity to outshine one another at the event, and we look forward to an exciting tournament this year.”

A total of 64 players, comprising 32 boys and 32 girls in the U-15 and U-19 categories, have been confirmed for the tournament.

Among  the contenders  is 2023 African Games silver medallist Matthew Kuti, who will lead the boys’ competition. In the U-19 category, national team stars Abdulbasit Abdulfatai and Muiz Adegoke will compete alongside Kuti. The invited players will be divided into four groups of four players each, with round-robin matches within each group. The top two players from each group will advance to the knockout stage quarterfinals.

The  main tournament will take place from December 20 to 21 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium and it is organized by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) and funded by UK-based Daniel Ford International.

The second edition of Chief Gbolahan Odele age group tennis tournament which started on Monday, August 19 ends today in Lagos.

The organisers were stunned as there were late entries which exceeded their expectations as more registered late to make the event far bigger than the first edition held in GRA, Ikeja

Badejo Sports headed by Coach Dele Badejo is in charge of the organization of the tourney taking place at the Adejumo Tennis Sports Complex in Egbeda Lagos.

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Coach Badejo said coping with the late rush of entries was a huge task for the organizing team of the Catch Them Young event.

“We had to delay the draw to accommodate more kids for the various cadres of the event. We are just happy that the response and the standard exhibited have been wonderful.

The 5th Efunkoya National Cadet Table Tennis Championships will round off today, Saturday with exciting finals in five categories.

The tournament features five titles: singles (boys and girls), doubles (boys and girls), and mixed doubles. Funded by former players and table tennis enthusiasts from both within and outside Nigeria, the event will see the doubles and mixed doubles events take center stage as it reaches its climax on Saturday.

Holding at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos, hundreds of players from 17 states and 20 clubs are competing in the 2024 annual tournament, organized by the Efunkoya Table Tennis Foundation in collaboration with the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).

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The foundation’s spokesperson, Ranti Lajide said they are happy with the development attained in five years of the tournament. “We are pleased with the turnout and believe this aligns with the tournament’s goal of nurturing new stars. We will continue to promote education alongside sports, which is the foundation’s core mission,” Lajide added.

The foundation, comprising former players and stakeholders, is dedicated to revitalizing the sport. The late Dr. Adegboyega Efunkoya, a surgeon and medical practitioner, began his involvement in table tennis administration in 1962 and was elected Chairman of the then Nigeria Table Tennis Association in 1963.

The Adejumo Tennis Complex in Lagos will from today host the second edition of Chief Gbolahan Odele age group tennis tournament.

According to the organisers, Badejo Sports, over 120 junior tennis players are expected to participate in the talent hunt initiative.

Head of the organizing team, Coach Dele Badejo told our correspondent at the weekend that this year’s edition would be an upgrade of the first  edition  held at GRA, Ikeja.

Badejo said the sponsor of the tournament, Chief Gbolahan Odele, has huge expectation on the competition because of his love for the youths.

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 “The sponsor, Chief Odele, loves the youth and he believes in the catch them young idea. His target is to get future champions for Nigeria in the years ahead,” Badejo said.

“We have prepared very well for this and I can assure that the young ones would have a great time in the competition.”

The tournament is staged for Boys and Girls between the ages of 12 and 16. There will be U-12, U-14 and U-16 competitions in the male and female cadres.

The competition which has attractive prizes at stake ends on August 24th .