LAGOS – The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) on Monday appealed to the National Sports Commission (NSC) to ensure early release of grants to the sports federations.
The NTTF Technical Director, Anderson Bankole , told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the early release of the fund would allow the federation s to carry out their programmes.
He said that federations could have remarkable outings in the year at international competitions if they prepared ahead.
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Bankole said the federation was already billed to participate in the 2015 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championships between Jan. 23 and Jan. 29 in Egypt.
He said it was financially incapacitated to participate in the championships.
Bankole, appealed to the NSC to always support the federation in its quest to maintain its leadership position on the continent.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
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“It is not a competition the federation can embark on alone; we need the support of the NSC to take the athletes to this completion.
“It is very important for Nigeria to be present at the tournament because ITTF will use it as the qualifier for the 2015 World Championships slated for April in China.
“The competition will also improve our players’ world rankings and further put the country in the limelight of the sport,’’ he said.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
Bankole, who is an Assistant Commissioner of Police, said that participating in the tournament would assist the players in their preparation for other international competitions.
“It is best we start the year on a good note and that will spur the players in their effort to build up for other competitions,’’ he said.
Bankole said the federation already had the list of players for the senior championship.
“All the athletes we intend to engage are in top form and I am optimistic that they will make the country proud in Egypt,’’ he said. (NAN)
