The Director of Coaches and Training, Osun State Sports Council, Mr. Ademola Daini, has announced a follow-up action on the promising talents identified at the recently concluded Erelu Ngozi Adeleke Table Tennis Championship. This championship, which took place at the Michael and Felicia Alabi Hall, Osogbo City Stadium, saw the participation of over 26 female secondary school students from across Osun State.
Alimot Olasunkanmi of Oba Laoye Grammar School, Ede, emerged victorious in this intense week-long competition after defeating the formidable Hamzat Hikimat from Adventist Grammar School, Ede. Speaking after the final match on Monday, Mr. Daini assured that all necessary arrangements for nurturing these newly discovered talents have been put in place. He mentioned that the Osun State table tennis coach, Saka Suraju has compiled the names and contacts of these athletes for proper follow-up actions.
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Mr. Daini elaborated on the plans, saying, “That’s why we have a coach there; he has gotten their names and he’ll make sure he gets in contact with the athletes. For instance, the two finalists are from Ede, which implies that they are supposed to have zonal training officers there. Now the arrangement is that after the zonal training officers send their report, a coach from Osogbo will be going there twice or thrice a week to train those finalists.”
Regarding the organization of the championship, Mr. Daini expressed his satisfaction, stating, “It is just the beginning, the organizers did really well. And I must give kudos to all the participants too. Now, this is an eye-opener for some secondary schools that have table tennis boards but don’t know that they can train their students to get to play at the stadium.”
The championship was organized by SportsGig International in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sports, and the Osun Sports Council, in honor of the Wife of the Governor of Osun State, Erelu Ngozi Adeleke. This event not only highlighted the talent present in Osun State but also set the stage for future sports development and training programs in the region.
