Vice President of African Table Tennis Federation,ATTF, Olabanji Oladapo, believes Nigeria would derive a lot of gains from staging the championship as Nigeria has been granted the hosting right for the 2014 African top 16.
Oladapo, said the manner at which the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation,NTTF, managed the last concluded Lagos International Table Tennis Classics paved the way for ITTF/ATTF to approve further competitions for Nigeria, stressing that it was easier for NTTF to push for the Africa Top 16 Cup despite intense lobbying from other African countries to host the competition.
His words: “As I said in one of my interviews during the Lagos Classics that the classics was a test event that will open doors for other ITTF/ATTF sanctioned competitions for Nigeria. The way, it was managed was good and it made it easier for us to push for the Africa Top
16 Cup despite intense lobbying from other African countries to host the competition".
We have shown ITTF/ATTF our capacity to organise a good competition and I am sure more opportunities will come our way.”
He explained that NTTF would get equipment form ITTF for the competition as the international body would also send their experts to Nigeria to train NTTF technical officials in their area of needs, adding that the nation's performance in organising the Africa top 16 Cup would also open doors for other opportunities while the presence of top players in the Africa Top 16 Cup and world class players in the Lagos Classics will expose our players and table tennis lovers to high-level competition.
He added: “Nigeria will get equipment from the ITTF that will be used for the competition and ITTF will also send their experts to Nigeria to train our technical officials in our area of needs. Our performance in organising the Africa Top 16 Cup will also open doors for other
opportunities, while the presence of top players in the Africa Top 16 Cup and world class players in the Lagos Classics will expose our players and table tennis lovers to high-level competition.”
An excited NTTF President, Wahid Oshodi, who described the development as a sign of good things to come to table tennis in Nigeria, said the Federation was pleased that the ATTF had seen it fit to grant the NTTF the hosting rights to the new premier competition in Africa.
Oshodi, believed that the top 16 male and female players would further help te federation to popularise the game of table tennis.
Having received many kind accolades as regards the organisation of the Lagos Classics, Oshodi, commended Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, corporate sponsors and individuals and the large number of lovers of the game who made the tournament successful,adding that NTTF would continue to work hard in abid to deliver a first class tournament so tha the confidence ITTF reposed in them would be justified. .
He singled out the enormous support the Lagos Classics got from the media.
“We are pleased that the ATTF has seen it fit to grant the NTTF the hosting rights to the new premier competition in Africa. This is fallout of the successful Lagos Classics, which we recently held and it is recognition of the hard work the NTTF has put in over the last three
months in developing the game in Nigeria.
To bring the top 16 male and female players in Africa to Lagos will further help in our efforts to popularise the game. We have received many kind accolades as regards the
organisation of the Lagos Classics and we are grateful to all our sponsors both corporate and individuals, especially the Governor of Lagos State and the large number of lovers of the game who made the tournament successful.
We will work hard to ensure that we deliver a first class tournament so that the confidence reposed in us by the ITTF will be fully justified,” Oshodi said.
He specifically singled out the enormous support the Lagos Classics got from the media, saying, “We are also extremely grateful to our friends in the media because the coverage of the Lagos Classics was a first of its kind. Across all media, the support and the stories that
came out were excellent and this just tells you what teamwork can do.”
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