Calabar: Nine states from the South-South and South-East regions are set to participate in the highly anticipated fifth edition of the Offiong Edem Table Tennis Championship, which is scheduled to commence in Calabar on April 17. The championship will be held at the Table Tennis Hall of the UJ Esuene Stadium, running from April 17 to April 19.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the championship’s sponsor, Offiong Edem, announced the tournament details to newsmen in Calabar. The event will offer a prize pool of N2.5 million and table tennis equipment valued at approximately N10 million. Edem, a five-time Olympian and current table tennis coach in the United States, mentioned that her motivation for organizing the tournament annually is to discover and nurture new talents for the country.
Edem expressed her desire to inspire young talents by sharing her experiences and resources with them. Although the competition has traditionally featured players from the South-South and South-East zones over the past four years, Edem revealed plans to expand it into a national event by 2026. She highlighted the challenges faced by players due to inadequate support for acquiring kits and participating in competitions, emphasizing the need for private sector involvement.
Edem also shared her personal journey, stating her decision to retire from the sport to make way for younger players. She recounted her achievements, including winning gold medals at the African Games and participating in major competitions such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Mr. Usen Umoh, Vice Chairman of the Cross River Table Tennis Federation, emphasized the importance of providing sports facilities to engage young people constructively. He lauded Offiong Edem’s contributions, noting her provision of 75 pairs of rubber for emerging talents, each costing about N200,000. Umoh expressed optimism that if more individuals like Offiong Edem were involved, there would be less reliance on government funding for sports in the state.
