By Akpan David, Calabar
Ahead of upcoming Table Tennis children’s championship holding early next month in Calabar, former African Table Tennis champion, Offiong Edem will begin to move Tennis Bat, Balls, Shoes, etc to Nigeria for participating children.
This is to help the participating children lessen the heavy burden of purchasing the costly equipment, which she said is out of reach of the participants.
Children not older than 16 years old from ten states in South South and South East Nigeria have been invited for the 2-day event.
In an interview, Edem said the championship will be the 5th and will be sponsored by Offiong Edem Foundation.
She said, “As a way of getting many Table Tennis bats, I am making appeals to my fellow professional players abroad to support by donating their own equipment, including bats which they are no longer using, for the budding children. You may know that we Professional players hardly use our playing bats beyond one month but because the children can’t afford it they often use it for over six months or more. So such ones from the players will still be very useful for the kids.
“I will also purchase many more and bring them to Nigeria for the championship”, she disclosed.
The five times Olympian now a coach in the US, called on the Cross River State government, sports loving firms and individuals to support the Table Tennis tournament, assuring that it will be sustained.
She confirmed that N2.5 million prize money has been earmarked for the champions, while more than N10 million will go for the equipment.
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