A total of 173 players from 13 states and 36 clubs across the country will take part in the fourth edition of the Efunkoya Cadet Table Tennis Championship, which serves off on Friday (today) at the National Stadium, Lagos, The PUNCH reports.
The two-day event will see the players compete for five titles in different categories — singles (boys and girls), doubles (boys and girls) and mixed doubles events.
According to the tournament referee, John Peters, this year’s turnout exceeded the previous editions, with the largest being 2022 where 64 boys and 37 girls took part.
He said, “I am extremely overwhelmed with the number of entries we had this year because we’ve never had it like this,” Peters said.
“The enthusiasm among the players, coupled with interest from the coaches, really helped to attract more players. We had a torrid time screening some players who are above the age limit, which is U-15, and we are happy that we were able to give more players the chance to be part of the tournament.
“The foundation has also done well with the clinic, with a special focus on female players. We will be starting the tournament on Friday (today) on a round-robin format that by evening, we will start the knockout hoping that we can conclude everything on Saturday, which is the finals.”
Meanwhile, boys defending champion, Victor Joseph from Kogi State, admits that his quest to retain his title will be tough, considering the number and quality of players in this year’s edition.
“I will try my best to retain my title but I it is going to be tough because we have more players that are very good this year and I hope I can bring out my best,” Joseph said.
