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The Chairman of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA), Tunji Lawal, has expressed concern over the exodus of Lagos athletes to other states due to a lack of support for table tennis.
This trend has seen several athletes from Lagos being poached by other states ahead of major national championships, depleting the quality of athletes in Lagos.
“Most of our players are moving to other states, and we have lost many of our senior players to Ogun, Delta, and Rivers States. We need to develop new players, especially from the youth. This requires bringing in the necessary facilities to help them develop their skills. I hope we can achieve something with our ongoing efforts,” Lawal lamented.
Lagos has historically been a hotbed for table tennis talent, but Lawal emphasized the need for more support to help players reach their full potential.
“We have players like Matthew Kuti and Muiz Adegoke, who started from cadet competitions and are now in the national teams. We want to develop new players and test them against others across the country,” he said.
To support this initiative, Lawal donated two table tennis boards, while the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu, donated one. However, Lawal acknowledged that more is needed.
“Lagos has a lot of players, and three tables are not enough. We have to start somewhere, and I hope the Lagos State Governor will support us in developing better players,” he concluded.
