Fashanu Wants NSC To Regenerate Table Tennis.

A table tennis enthusiast, Babatunde Fashanu, has urged the National Sports Commission to pave the way towards regenerating the poor standard of table tennis through the provision of International Table Tennis Federation approved equipment couple with availability of funds to stage and attend international competitions.

The move according to Fashanu, whose interest in table tennis was borne out genuine purpose to improve the dwindling standard of the sport, said it was sad that the country that is well blessed with great ping pingers did not have a reputable konck up hall to train her table tennis players to stardom,stressing that the knock hall at the National Stadium is an eye sore to a country that produced the likes of Atanda Musa, Sunday Eboh, Bose Kaffo,Segun Toriola among others.

Fashanu, whose father, Reginard Fashanu, represented Nigeria in the track and field event, said table tennis was famous in Lagos Island during his youthful days as many people form different walks of life converged at Alakoro, Elegbata, among others to play table tennis, stressing that such gesture had faded away because of lack of developmental programmes to take the sport to the nooks and crannies of the streets in lagos State as well as the Primary and Secondary Schools.

The Chairman of Printlink Table Tennis Club, said the National Sports Commission should endeavor to review its budget and find a lasting soluton to improve the standard of the sport by providing modern materials that would march up with ITTF specifications, adding that the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation should also ensure that it establish a cordial relationship with corporate bodies since government alone cannot fund sports.

"Look at what Nestle Milo is doing in Basketball.In the past Cadbury used to associate with the NTTF and such marrige lifted the standard of table tennis in Nigeria unlike what is obtainable today in the sport"

According to him, Egpyt seems to have abetter table tennis structure that the NTTF that have credible ping pongers but deficient in sourcing for corporate sponsors not only to stage tournaments but to partner the Federation in assisting its wards to feature in ATTF/ITTF approved championships couple with a exchange programme with the best table tennis playing nation in the world.

"Egypt have overshadowed Nigeria due to their developmental programmes.Egpyt are organised and their focus in the sport is to be a leader".NIgeria Table Tennis Federation should endeavor to emulate them by organising more games and also delve into exchange programme to enable Nigerian players acquint themselves with the latest happenings in the sport."

To him, the annual Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship should have gained government intervention in the area of expand its coast to international level since the sole sponsor, Chief Molade Okoya Thomas, has consistently sponsor the tourney for over forty years without any hitch.

"I want to thank Chief Molade Okoya Thomas for sustaining the Asoju Oba Table Tennis Closed Table Tennis Championship for over forty years.He has no support from the government. Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship should by now be an international event by now having lasted for forty years and people are not taking it beyond its present position."

Fashanu's quest to further build the career of Nigerian ping pongers encouraged him to pick interest in Kazeem Adeniyi, one of the outstanding Nigerian table tennis players to achieve his dream of becoming world champion, adding that Adeniyi has the potential but he lacks financial support, hence the reason he decided to help him to live beyond his present position.

According to him, his support coupled with the potentials in the table tennis players had been able yield fruits as Adeniyi won the last edition of Asoju Oba Table tennis Championship and also qualify to feature in the just concluded African Singles Championship in Morocco.

"I pick Kazeem Adeniyi from my present environment where i stayed.I used to see them playing table tennis and i picked on him four years ago.I sponsored him to the Asoju Oba Table tennis Championship and he won.He lost in the final of 2009.In 2010, i sponsored him again and he won"

"From there i felt i should encourage him further and it was in 2010.I feel so inspired with his progress, his achievement and i told him to bring forward talented ping ponger who possess similar skills.That's how Printlink Table Tennis Club wa s formed."

"I want to support the club to become the feeder team of the national team.Am glad that Kazeem is progressing and i want to imlore the government to take on as someone who can really project the image of Nigeria.Government have everything it takes to bring up good performances in sports and used that to correct the wrong in the society."