No fewer than 356 players across 22, and 67 clubs will battle it out in the 56th edition of the Molade Okoya-Thomas Table Tennis championships.
This is the highest entry in the history of the prestigious tournament since the inception of the championship in 1968, according to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Africa Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Kweku Tandor.
The tournament is billed to start on Monday, January 27, and end on Saturday, February 1, 225 male players will be playing with over 100 women competing in 13 events.
Deji Okoya-Thomas revealed that the family decided to expand the tournament to a national level due to numerous appeals from table tennis stakeholders within and outside Nigeria.
He said: “This year is particularly special as the tournament will extend beyond Lagos State to become a national event for the first time since its inception in 1968.
“This decision comes in response to numerous appeals to allow the best players from across the country to compete in a supportive environment that brings out their best,” he said.
He added: “Notably, this tournament remains the longest-running table tennis competition in Nigeria and Africa, with many participants achieving continental and international success.
“Before his passing in 2015, the late business mogul promised that the tournament would outlive him, and we are proud to see that his promise has been fulfilled, with the tournament continuing to flourish for 11 years.”
Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, hailed the family for upholding the legacy of the competition’s initiator while pledging the government’s commitment to supporting grassroots sports development.
“These are the kind of championships that we want to align with, work with because they provide the pathway for talent identification and motivation for the young ones to participate and move forward,” he said.
The tournament is expected to feature 13 events, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, para, deaf, and veteran categories.
