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From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Former Six times African Table Tennis Champion and four times Olympian, Offiong Edem, has launched the 6th edition of her annual Table Tennis Championship, with over 100 young players from 15 states and sports associations participating this year.
Speaking at the opening of the tournament, Edem said the championship and her foundation were born out of her desire to “give back to society” and support the next generation of Nigerian table tennis stars.
“I just want to give back to the society. And also to support the children, not just in a personal aspect. If I have my way, I’m going to make this a national tournament, probably next year,” Edem said.
The former Olympian noted that the tournament has grown significantly since its inception.
“Last year we had about 50 kids. This year I think we have 100 and something,” she said.
States participating include Delta, Bayelsa, Anambra, Enugu, and Edo, cutting across the South-South and South-East. Three clubs are also represented.
Edem, who now coaches in Texas, USA, lamented the lack of support for table tennis in Nigeria despite the abundance of talent.
“We have a lot of talent here. I saw kids that in five years will be in the national team, probably somewhere in Europe. But the game is dying because there’s no support,” she said.
According to her, players train all year but cannot attend national tournaments due to lack of funding.
“They practisce all year, but they don’t go anywhere. They just play here. They need to go play tournaments,” she added.
The champion said her ultimate goal is to expose Nigerian players to international competition because “table tennis has changed a lot.”
“What we are playing here is not what they are playing outside. They are still far behind. The idea is to push them to go somewhere, to learn something new,” she concluded.
Agnes Atsu, the Cross River State Sports Commissioner pledged support for initiatives like the tournament which fosters grassroots development.
