UNILAG Don To Officiate At Gold Coast 2018 Games

OLATUNJI EMMANUEL

Umpires Cecilia Arinye (left)  and John Peters

The Director of Sports of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Dr. Cecilia Arinye has added another cap to her feathers as she has been invited to officiate in the table tennis events at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

The former Nigerian international, who had acknowledged the receipt of the invitation, was happy for being chosen out of many people across the world. She is the only Nigerian giving such opportunity.

“It is true, I got an invitation letter as one of the officials in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, and by God’s Grace, I will be there”, she was quoted to have said by Nation Sports Wednesday.

Arinye has an impressive resume in the world of table tennis. She has an International Blue Badge Umpire in 2009.

She told part at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship, which took place in Sydney Australia, alongside Babatunde Obisanya, Olawunmi Majekodunmi, Kasali Lasisi, Fatai Ayinde and Ethel Jacks.

Arinye was the first black woman to officiate in table tennis event during the 20th Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014. So also she was first black woman to officiate in the Summer Paralympics during the Rio 2016 Paralympics Games.

Arinye debuted as an Umpire in an ITTF World Table Tennis Championship during the All African Senior Table Tennis Championship in 2007 at Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo. And later in Guangzhou, China (2008), Madrid Spain (2008) and numerous ITTF sanctioned events.

Arinye led the University of Lagos to achieve her best ever performance at the NUGA Games in 2014, where UNILAG finished second on the medal table behind UNIPORT with 13 Gold, 10 Silver and 7 Bronze medals.