Organisers of the fourth Dr. A. A Efunkoya Cadet Table Tennis Championship has said that a two-day clinic will herald the event scheduled for the National Stadium, Lagos.
The championship is organised by the Dr. A.A. Efunkoya Foundation with the aim of unearthing talents for the country. According to the organisers, the clinic became necessary because feedbacks from the previous editions advised that they hold a tune up event for the players before the two-day tournament scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday.
Spokesman of the foundation Ranti Lajide, said the essence of the clinic is to unearth young women players for the country.
“We realised that Egypt continues to dominate the women division at junior and senior levels, and we decided to give attention to them with the clinic. We expect every team to bring at least two female players for the clinic; this is a must for every participating state.
“The clinic will be handled by a consortium of coaches led by Nosiru Bello, who is the national coach,” he said. According to the organisers, the yearly contest has been in line with the ideals of the late Efunkoya, whose era as the president of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) unearthed stars for the country.
The organisers said Efunkoya’s strong emphasis on the need for young table tennis players to also focus on their education has inspired them to continue to provide a scholarship for each of the winners in the boys’ and girls’ singles categories.