Lagos – Nigeria will not participate in the female category of the Perfect World Teams Table Tennis Championships in Malaysia which holds from Feb. 28 to March 6.
Nigeria’s absence in that category of the Olympic qualifiers is caused by the perennial problem of paucity of funds, a development that had also hindered some sports from attending Olympic trials.
The male team that have departed to Malaysia are self-sponsored because three of them are foreign-based and the only one based in the country has raised money for himself and departed Lagos on Friday.
Anderson Bankole, the Technical Director, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the body could not get the required funds for the competition.
Bankole said that the National Sports Commission (NSC) had intimated NTTF officials that there was paucity of funds.
Most recently, the national handball players had to sponsor themselves to their qualifiers in Alexandria, Egypt held from Jan. 21 to Jan. 30, at the dying minute.
This no doubt contributed affected their performance and prevented the country from qualifying. They had to borrow money to travel on the eve of their first match.
One of the players, who is based overseas, Samuel Samora, told NAN that since the competition, they had yet to be paid their allowances.
Now, the NTTF could not secure the funds for attending the Malaysian trials from the National Sports Commission (NSC) which, it is learnt, informed the officials that there was paucity of funds.
Following the development, the players had sponsored themselves to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Top 16 and the ITTF Africa Singles Olympic qualifiers in Sudan between Feb. 14 and Feb. 18.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
But the situation has not deterred them from performing well at the meets.
At the Top 16 Aruna Quadri won and that accorded him the opportunity to represent Africa at the Table Tennis World Cup, later in the year.
Quadri had also qualified for the Olympics alongside Funke Oshonaike at the Africa Games in Brazaville, Congo in 2015.
In the singles qualifiers in Sudan, Segun Toriola and Edem Offiong won the male and female categories respectively and joined Quadri and Oshonaike for the Olympic Games.
Now that it is time for the teams’ qualifiers, only the males could attend the Malaysian competition because they could raise funds by themselves but the females could not.
Nigeria is supposed to feature five players in the male category and likewise in the female but only four males will be attending.
They are Segun Toriola, Aruna Quadri, Bode Abiodun and Ojo Onaolapo, while the only female, Funke Oshonaike that could raise money for her trip would not go because it is a team event.
Other female players that couldn’t raise the required money for the trip are Edem Offiong, Janet Friday, Bose Odusanya and Fatima Fashola.
Quadri, who arrived in Malaysia on Friday, told NAN that he would give the competition his best.
He said that in spite of the circumstances surrounding his participation, his target was to make the teams’ events list at the Olympics.
“It is an honour wearing the county’s jersey. It is an amazing feeling and I am always glad to wear it.
“’My morale increases once as I wear the Nigerian jersey. I promise to give a good account of myself here in Malaysia.
“I will give it my maximum best and I pray to God to favour me and accord me the grace to end it well.
“I will play all matches right from the beginning to the last like it’s the first. All matches are crucial and must be won for the teams’ ticket to materialise.
“Yes, I have qualified for the singles event but that’s not enough. It will be perfect when I can take part in the teams’ event too,’’ he said.
Quadri will be making his second Olympic appearance after his maiden appearance at the 2012 London Olympics.
He lost in the second round to Turkey’s Vang Bora.
Ojo Onaolapo before his departure also vowed to make the country proud by ensuring that he played well alongside his team mates.
Onaolapo told NAN that his target was ensuring that he sustained a winning streak.
“I haven’t been to the Olympics before. This is my very first opportunity to participate in a world class competition.
“Every athlete’s target is playing at the Olympics. I have been awarded an opportunity to make a name for myself and I will be doing just that.
“I will ensure that I maintain a clean mind without worries because that’s the only way I can perform credibly.
“I have been training so well for this debut at the Olympics. I will work in synergy with my compatriots because this is a collective responsibility.
“We all have the same goal and I will ensure that I cooperate with them so that our aim can be accomplished.
“They are more experienced than myself and I know I have a lot to learn from them,’’ Onaolapo said.
If the players are exhibiting the zeal to win for the country, should the NSC sit and watch the talents waste?
The authorities have to device ways of getting funds to facilitate athletes’ participation in competitions, especially qualifying tournaments.
As at now, only 43 Nigerian athletes have so far qualified for the Olympics.
The athletes are from athletics, basketball, canoe slalom, rowing, table tennis, football and wrestling. (NAN)