Former Champion Decries Decline In Squash

A former National Squash Champion, Friday Omeben, has decried the lack of competitions currently bedeviling the sport in the country.

Omeben spoke with newsmen last week, in Lagos.

He said that the situation had made it impossible for squash players to participate in competitions that would sharpen their skills and improve their competitive edge.

Omeben, champion in1980, implored the Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF) to find ways to make the federation more active.

The former champion, who noted that the federation could only attract sponsors by having visible programmes, urged it to revamp its marketing department.

“Our players are not getting the type of exposure they need; normally in a season they should have regular competitions, now we can’t even boast of two tournaments in a year,’’ he said.

Omeben regretted that squash was not the only sport battling with inactivity as other sports faced a similar challenge, noting that coaches and players were worried by the development.

“The economic situation of the country is not helping matters; the economic crunch is biting harder.

“No sponsor wants to partner if there are no benefits; and there must be an incentive of sorts; there must be derivable benefits in place to entice them,’’ he said.

On refresher courses, Omeben said that the NSF had not been able to organise any for its coaches.

“Well, since we can’t travel out for refresher courses, we regularly acquaint ourselves with the current trends in the sport through the internet, which has being helpful,’’ he said.