Lagos – Some participants at the ongoing 47th Asoju-Oba Molade Okoya-Thomas Table Tennis Championships have commended the family of the late Molade Okoya-Thomas for sustaining the annual competition.
The players, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the championships, said that the gesture was an indication of the interest of the family in the sport.
Michael Obayomi, a player in the junior category, said that this year’s edition was his fifth time of participating in the championships.
Obayomi said it was one event he had been looking forward to in the last five years.
“I am so happy that this competition is still holding even after the demise of our daddy Okoya-Thomas.
“This competition gives me joy and I feel good taking part in it. I haven’t missed it in the last five years, even though I have never won it.
“I am still young in the sport but I have been told so many good things the late Okoya-Thomas has done for the development and growth of table tennis,” Obayomi said.
In the same vein, nine-year-old Balikis Surmer, who is participating in the cadet category, said that she was happy that the competition was still holding.
Surmer said she had been participating in the championships in the last two years.
“God bless the Okoya-Thomas family for hosting it again this year. I always have fun coming to take part in this competition,” she said.
Ayo Omotara, who plays in the senior category, told NAN that he would have been thoroughly disappointed if the competition had not held.
Omotara said it was good that the legacy of the late Okoya-Thomas was being developed.
“I must commend the family for stepping into the shoes of Okoya-Thomas. He was Nigeria’s number one supporter of table tennis.
“I am sure he’s happy to see that the family has taken over this annual competition.
“I would have been disappointed if this competition did not hold this year,’’ Omotara said.
NAN reports that no fewer than 300 players are participating in the 22-category event.
The senior, junior and cadet categories have five events each.
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The senior events are men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and the mixed doubles.
Junior events are junior boys and girls, boys’ and girls’ doubles and mixed doubles. The cadets are boys’ and girls’ singles, boys’ and girls’ doubles and mixed doubles.
There are also the para men’s and women singles classes 1-5 and the para men and women’s singles class 6-10 open.
Others are coach’s singles, sport writers singles and veteran singles. (NAN)