Lagos Open LOC Gifts Tennis Kits To Young Nigerian Players

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of Lagos Open Tennis Championship has organised an award ceremony for the U-16 players who have been participating in Lagos Open Juniors regularly and now coming tops across the nation and West Africa tournaments.

The 2020 award ceremony was held  recently at 24 Adeola Odeku St LSDPC Estate Blocks of Flats Tennis Court opposite Cubana Club.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that awards were given to selected and exceptional young players who have been consistent on court and dedicated to tennis in the outgoing year 2020 in order to help galvanise their playing career.

The players were selected from Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo and Kogi states. They are Faith Ahmed, Destiny Okinnaiye, Success Ogunjobi, Olamilekan Moses, Mubarak Ganiyu, the Ogunsakin brothers – Oluwaseyi and Okuwaseun.

The Tournament Director of the foremost long running tennis championship on the black continent since year 2000, Prince Wale Oladunjoye, described the award as one of the several ways for the LOC of Lagos Open to help Nigerian junior players who have distinguished themselves and show great passion for the game of tennis. He said the award came in form of generous kits for the promising players.

“These players need every support at this stage of their career for them to develop themselves in tennis. We must all be there for these talented players,” Prince Oladunjoye said.

Barrister Wahid Enitan Osodi, former Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development in Lagos State, who was one of the dignitaries at the award ceremony, said that young talents need every support to excel in sports, a reason he and other spirited Nigerians have not relent in contributing their quota to the career development of the junior players.

“I am happy with the performance of these players at the Lagos Open Juniors. I must confess, this has inspired me and I think we should all come together  to pull resources together to help the career of these children and to help Nigeria securing great  nation in tennis,” said Oshodi, former President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).

To Coach Akinwunmi Ogunsakin, the award came at the right time when he and other coaches of the young players about losing hope of helping, adding that “we’re almost given up, we thought things won’t work because things were so much hard, but for the intervention of the Lagos Open LOC, our hope has been rekindled. We cannot buy thank the LOC of the Lagos Open Tennis for this kind gesture. We say thank you very much,” Coach Ogunsakin said.

The players applauded the support from the Lagos Open, as this support, which is timely, will give them the opportunity to train regularly. They noted that the bags and the kits are very expensive, things they could not be easily afforded.