New Telegraph

56-Year-Old Molade Okoya-Thomas Table Tennis Championship Goes National

The Molade Okoya-Thomas Table Tennis Championship has reached an exciting milestone, expanding from a Lagos-based event to a national competition for the first time in its 56-year history, New Telegraph reports.

The announcement was made during a press briefing at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall in Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, by the son of the late founder of the tournament, Mr. Deji Okoya-Thomas.

This year’s tournament, which was famously known as the Asoju Oba Cup, coincides with the 10th anniversary of the passing of its founder, Sir Chief Dr. Molade Okoya-Thomas.

The competition which was his vision to support young talent and promote excellence in sports has produced table tennis stars like Atanda Musa, the late Yomi Bankole, Bose Kaffo, and Olufunke Oshonaike among others.

Speaking about the tournament’s national expansion, Okoya-Thomas 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.”

This year’s competition which will hold from January 27 to February 1, 2025, will see a record 355 players (231 male and 124 female) from 21 states and 67 clubs across Nigeria.

Participants will compete in 13 categories, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, para, deaf, and veteran events.

The Men’s Singles category alone has 109 entries, showing the growing interest in the tournament. Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, lauded the family for upholding the legacy of the competition’s initiator while pledging the government’s commitment to supporting grassroots sports development.

Dikko commended the family for their dedication since the initiator’s demise in 2015 and emphasized that talents discovered through such tournaments would be supported to achieve podium finishes at major events like the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

President of ITTF Africa, Wahid Oshodi, noted that the tournament has become a breeding ground for table tennis stars in Nigeria, with many national team players emerging from the tournament.

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