Sports
TOM Falase, Chairman, Lagos State Squash Association (LSSA), on Friday attributed the success of the recently concluded Lagos Squash Classics to Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) and Premier Lotto, aka Baba Ijebu.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the support and sponsorship offered by LSSC and Premier Lotto, ensured the success of the 2023 Lagos State Squash Classics.
NAN reports that the Lagos Squash Classics held from May 9 to May 13 at the Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.
“It’s a great feeling we were able to pull this off. We couldn’t have done it without the sponsorship of LSSC and Premier Lotto. We are very grateful to them.
“The prize money was 16,000 dollars but what went into planning and logistics was on the high side due to inflation. For a tournament that was postponed a couple of times, it was highly competitive.
“Growing squash and sports in general requires genuine support and sponsorship by government, corporate and private organisations.
“Premier Lotto has done that for squash and we’re grateful and we do hope we can further strengthen this relationship,” he said.
NAN reports that siblings Torrie Malik and Curtis Malik of England won in the men and women categories of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) ranking championship.
On how the tournament impacted the ranking of participants, the chairman said most of the players moved up in ranking as a result of their participation.
“For starters Curtis made it to the top 50 on PSA ranking, a feat he has never attained before. Also, Adegoke Onaopemipo (Nigeria’s No.1) moved up in his ranking which is commendable.
“We have never had the high number of international participants like we did.
“Back home for the first time we had players getting to the quarter final and semi final. The exposure for the home based players was worth all the effort put in.
“We got a commendation letter from the PSA, and they are looking forward to another tournament. The players had a great time; this will also encourage our players to be registered members of PSA,” he said.
Also applauding the LSSA was the PSA Referee, Steve Eccles, who told NAN that the tournament was well organised and he looked forward to coming back to Nigeria.
“Initially I didn’t know what to expect, but this tournament exceeded my expectations and I’m glad I came; the players gave us the best performance.
“I like the people of Nigeria, they’re friendly and I do look forward to coming back to officiate again,” he said. (NAN)
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Tags: Curtis Malik Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Tomi Falase Torrie Malik
