Sports
John Peters, tournament technical official of Dr Adegboyega Efunkoya National U-15 Cade Table Tennis Championships, has pegged 15 years as the age requirement for participating in the competition.
Peters told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that players above 15 years would not be registered and allowed to participate in the competition.
He said the championships sponsored by Dr Efunkoya Table Tennis Foundation would hold from July 25 to July 27 at the Indoor Sports Hall of National Stadium, Lagos.
“This championships are a grassroots programme introduced by Efunkoya Foundation in memory of the late Efunkoya, a former table tennis association chairman and it’s aimed to develop young players in the Cadet categories.
“So, it is restricted to 15 years and below, therefore, its very essential for us to do the needful in order to make the competition a fair playing ground for eligible players.”
He said measures had been put in place to verify players that had indicated interest and were undergoing the registration exercise for the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) organised championships.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) umpire said the three-day championships would feature boys/girls singles, boys/girls doubles and mixed doubles events, with certified NTTF referees as officiating officials.
“We are applying other measures to ascertain their real ages in the screening for interested players by asking them questions revolving around their birth and present class in school,” he added.
According to him, the measure will go a long way to curb age falsification among upcoming players, impart discipline in them and achieve the purpose of the championships.
Peters added that the foundation initiated by past table tennis stars, had promised education scholarships to the outstanding boy and girl who distinguished themselves in the championships. (NAN)
JULY 24, 2019 13:40 GMT|
Tags: Only U-15 are eligible for Efunkoya National Cadet T/Tennis Championships says official
