Wheelchair Tennis Action Returns To National Stadium, Lagos After Lull

IKPO IGBINOBA

 From March 28th to 31st, the tennis courts of the National Stadium in Lagos will come alive with fireworks from wheelchair players.

Players from the 36 states of the federation and Abuja are expected to participate in the one week event tagged “National Wheelchair Tennis Tournament”.

Chairman of the Wheelchair Tennis Department of the Nigeria Tennis Federation,NTF, Lateef Shodipo couldn’t hide his excitement while giving P.M. EXPRESS an update about the tournament.

According to him “Apart from providing a platform for our players to be busy again after a lull, the tournament will serve two other purposes.

“First, it would be used for ranking of our players and secondly it would expose some young hidden talents that should take over from the current crop of champions who have dominated the scene for quite a while”.The star prize is N50,000 each for both the men and women champions.

Over N700,000 would be splashed as prizes from the preliminary stage of the tournament. Mr. Shodipo said the tournament was the beginning of his department’s drive to boost the fortunes of wheelchair tennis in the country.

He stressed “We are determined to get regular sponsorships for our sport because it is only through regular competitions that our sport can grow”. The wheelchair tennis chief thanked the president of the  NTF, Mr. Dayo Akindoju for singlehandedly sponsoring the event.”I am grateful to the President of the NTF, Mr. Dayo Akindoju for the sponsorship of this tournament”.

Mr. Shodipo who is the second vice president of the NTF also appealed to governments, corporate organisations and philanthropists to support wheelchair tennis because according to him “the sport has empowered hitherto destitute people to become useful to themselves, their families, their communities and the country at large”.

“Add to that”, Mr Shodipo noted “Wheelchair Tennis has brought laurels for the country”.

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