IKPO IGBINOBA
After almost a decade of being in limbo, competitive wheelchair tennis will return with a bang on Tuesday as the 1st Vice President Wheelchair Tennis Invitational Championship gets underway at the National Stadium, in Surulere.
The championship which will end on Friday will feature all the big guns in wheelchair tennis including the nation’s number one player, Paralympian Alex Oluwadamilare, two-time Paralympian Wasiu Yusuf, Jelili Ishola, Kazeem Akanbi and a host of others.
This revival which has sent players into euphoria was made possible by a public spirited individual, Mr. Tochukwu Okeke, who is the Vice President of Mainland Tennis Club, National Stadium, Surulere.
An excited Oluwadamilare, who is the leading player in the country told PM EXPRESS that the championship was a sign of better days ahead for the sport.
According to him “For years, we have prayed and laboured to have a championship of our own after New Era Foundation stopped their sponsorship in 2009 but no luck.
Now God has answered our prayers and Mr. Tochukwu Okeke has to our rescue”
“We are grateful to him for this sponsorship and we believe other public-spirited Nigerians would emulate him. I believe this is a sign of better days ahead for our sport”.
Nigerian Wheelchair tennis has a checkered history. With very enthusiastic players spread across the country, the sport has had the ill-fortune of a dearth of sponsors. Even the Nigeria Tennis Federation treats wheelchair tennis with contempt.
In its over 20 years of existence, the sport has had only a sponsor, the New Era Foundation, owned by former First Lady of Lagos State, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
However, in spite of the sponsorship challenge,the players with an indomitable spirit proved their class and mettle on the African continent and on two occasions participated at the Paralympics.
One-time national champion, Wasiu Yusuf was at Beijing Olympics in 2008. And in London 2012, Wasiu Yusuf and Alex Oluwadamilare hoisted Nigeria’s flag.
The players couldn’t make it to Rio 2016 because they didn’t participate in the qualifiers due to the swan-song of the federation ” no funds” when it is Wheelchair tennis.
Since the New Era Foundation, owned by former First Lady of Lagos State, Senator Oluremi Tinubu stopped sponsorship of the sport, wheelchair tennis had never had an event of their own.