LAGOS – Nosiru Bello, Head Coach, Nigerian Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), has commended the players who finished 5th in both the Junior Boys and Cadet Boys categories at the ongoing African Championships in Cairo.
The players took the position in the teams’ events concluded on Wednesday.
The championships began on April 7 and would come to an end on April 14.
Bello told NAN on telephone that he was happy with the performance of the boys but added that they needed to be worked on in order to get better.
Bello said that the country’s representatives at the ongoing championships were athletes in the stipulated age grades and that their performance was tremendous.
“They have really tried, they exhibited commitment and you can see the zeal in them that they know and love what they are doing.
“We did not present any overage player, we carefully selected them putting into cognisance the future of the sport,’’ Bello said.
The coach added that the players would be tutored to be good junior team players.
He said that in the next one or two years, “we should be able to present them to represent the country at senior competitions.
“In fact, we are going to develop them to become a force that other countries would have to fight so hard to conquer.
“Soon, they will be playing with their seniors at the All African Games because I see success in them.
“They have what it takes to be known in the ping pong game but only need to be serious and dedicated,’’ Bello said. (NAN)
