Abiru mixed table tennis championship begins in Lagos
About 157 players from 28 Nigerian clubs and two foreign clubs from Togo and Benin Republic will compete in the second Senator Abiru Mixed Team Table Tennis Championship.
The event runs from Thursday, October 30, to Saturday, November 1, at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
Senator Tokunbo Abiru announced this at a media briefing in Lagos on Thursday, highlighting the importance of the championship.
He said the event sought to promote gender balance, teamwork and inclusivity in sports, and had been endorsed by the Lagos State Table Tennis Association.
Mr Abiru, also founder of the SAIL Empowerment Foundation, reaffirmed his commitment to creating platforms for young Nigerians to develop their talents and technical skills.
He added that the initiative aligned with the foundation’s vision to empower young people through innovation and skill acquisition.
Mr Abiru explained that the foundation’s flagship programme, the SAIL Innovation Lab, focused on developing youth capacity in technology, entrepreneurship and creative industries.
He said the table tennis championship supported the foundation’s mission by promoting discipline, focus and teamwork among young people.
He expressed confidence that empowering youths would help them become worthy ambassadors for the country.
President of the African Table Tennis Federation, Wahid Oshodi, thanked the Abiru Empowerment Foundation for its backing, noting its role in developing a competitive mixed team for future global events.
Oshodi described the initiative as timely and said it would help prepare the federation for forthcoming tournaments.
While Nigeria did not qualify for the current edition in China, he said the support would help build a stronger team for future competitions.
He also expressed optimism that the programme would strengthen Nigeria’s table tennis structure and boost its international competitiveness.
Clubs from Togo and Benin Republic will join 28 Nigerian teams to compete for honours and cash prizes totalling N5.5 million at the championship.
(NAN)
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