LTTA To Comb Grassroots For Talents

The Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LTTA) at the weekend said that it would comb the grassroots to discover budding talents to lift the state in the sport.

The association’s Chairman, Noah Olumuyiwa, told newsmen in Lagos that the step was critical to regaining the state’s position in the sport.

According to him, any sporting association which neglects the grassroots to discover talents is on the verge of losing its position.

Olumuyiwa claimed that the association had produced good athletes in the sport who were capable of representing the state and country at any competition.

He said that a number of tennis players from the state had been invited to camp in Ibadan in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for Delhi, India in October.

The chairman gave the names of some the players in camp as: Ganiat Ogundele, Rahidat Ogundele, Olaide Atinuke, Gbenga Anthony, and Haruna Quadri.

“We are grassroots people and our programme must be grassroots oriented for us to take this sport to greater height in the state.

“We have discovered and are still exploring the grassroots to discover more athletes that will continue the good job when the present ones have aged,’’ Olumuyiwa said.

He commended the State Government for supporting table tennis through its sponsorship of competitions and sporting programmes.

Olumuyiwa explained that the just concluded programme – Sports Month- tagged ‘Ibile 2010,’ sponsored by the government yielded a good result as more talents were discovered.

“Athletes discovered at Ibile 2010 will be called to camp in preparation for the 2010 National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt,’’ he said.

According to him, that is one of the reasons for shelving most of our programmes for now.