Nine states from the South-South and South-East will participate in the fifth edition of the Offiong Edem Table Tennis Competition scheduled to commence in Calabar on April 17.

Sponsor of the championship, Offiong Edem, told journalists in Calabar that the tournament would take place at the table tennis hall of the UJ Esuene Stadium from April 17 to April 19.

Ms Edem said N2.5 million and table tennis equipment worth about N10 million would be up for grabs.

The five-time Olympian, currently a table tennis coach in the U.S. after retiring from the sport in 2024, said she chose to organise the tournament annually to discover more talents for the country.

“I am interested in producing other Offiong Edems by encouraging the young talents and sharing what I have with them,” she said.

She said although the competition had always featured players from the South-South and South-East zones in the last four years, it would become a national event in 2026.

Ms Edem said inadequate support for players, especially in getting their kits and participating in competitions, discouraged many players from the sport.

“The government cannot sponsor table tennis alone. The private sector needs to come in. It is sad to see our players qualify for international competitions but cannot participate in them because they do not have sponsors.

”They, however, rely only on participating in local events, which cannot make them better players,” she said.

According to Ms Edem, she decided to retire from the sport to allow younger players to take over the stage.

“I have won gold medals at the African Games,” she stated. “I have participated in all major competitions from the Olympics to the Commonwealth Games and other international competitions, so I felt it was time to quit.”

Usen Umoh, the vice-chairman of the Cross River Table Tennis Federation, said the only way to take many young people off the street was by providing sports facilities.

Mr Umoh maintained that Offiong Edem, who came from a humble background, had provided 75 pairs of rubber for upcoming talents.

“Each pair costs about N200,000,” he said. “If Cross River has three Offiong Edem, we will not go to the government to solicit funds to support the sport in the state.”

(NAN)