WTT CONTENDER: LAGOS PLEDGES SPORTS DEVELOPMENT, OPEN TO MAJOR TOURNAMENTS
As the 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Series serves off, the Director-General of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu has reiterated the commitment of the state to sports development and its readiness for other major activities that will improve the performance of athletes.
He made the statement at a press conference organised to herald the 2024 WTT Contender Lagos, held over the weekend at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria.
Fatodu said, “As a state, we are ever ready for this kind of sporting spectacle as our homegrown and budding players like Muizz Adegoke and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai are already warming up for a world event taking place right here in our enchanting state.
He said, “Our indefatigable Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been demonstrating unwavering support in sporting infrastructure. As a state, we are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to the development of sports, encouragement of talents and other activities that will give room for athletes to be exposed to an international championship of this magnitude”.
Speaking further, he said that Lagos will continue to advance the development of sports in the state, and the 400 ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) world ranking points Table Tennis Championships serves as an avenue for local players to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany among top players bound to feature in the tourney.
Fatodu also highlighted that Lagos is a pacesetter in sports and infrastructure development, saying hosting another world championship in the commercial nerve centre is not only putting the state on the world map but also creates an avenue for future stars and budding talents to watch out for superstars as they prepare for intense competition.
“This is Lagos and we are open to subsequent major tournaments as we are ever ready to host the world in our fitting facilities and also with our budding players who are ready to engage and interact with the world”, Fatodu stated.
In his remarks, Vice President of ITTF and former Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Wahid Enitan Oshodi pointed out that the most important people at the event are players, noting that despite the economic situation all over the world, they still made their presence count in Lagos.
He said exciting top players in the world playing in different styles from Korea, China, Germany, and India among other countries were also in the race for the WTT Contender Lagos series.
Oshodi also acknowledged the performances of the Nigerian budding players including Mathew Kuti who has dominated West Africa in the ping pong game.
Director of Events and Chief Operating Officer, ITTF-Africa, Dr. Kweku Tandoh posited that it is another opportunity to showcase the template that has been developed over the last 13 years.
“We started in 2013 as Lagos International Table Tennis classics that ran for about two years. The ITTF recognised and approved the event and it became Nigeria Open and ran for another five years. We were able to get to this level of the WTT Contender Series, which is the highest event sanctioned by the ITTF”.
Speaking further on the significance of the event to the capacity building of sports officers and administrators, Tandoh said it would effectively improve their knowledge in the areas of event planning and management.