Daniel Ford Elite tennis tourney begins Dec 18

Budding table tennis players from across the country have been presented with another opportunity to exhibit their talents at the Daniel Ford Invitational Championships, which will be held at the Teslim Balogin Stadium, Lagos, from December 18 to 21, 2024.

Christened “Daniel Ford Elite Youth Invitational Championships,” the event, which will be held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, is organised by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), and funded by UK-based Daniel Ford International.

According to the organisers, the participants will undergo a two-day clinic, led by national coaches, including Dotun Omoniyi, to prepare for the tournament, which kicks off on December 20, with qualifiers in the U-15 and U-19 categories.

The Vice President of NTTF, Adesoji Tayo, highlighted that the success of the inaugural edition inspired the sponsor to continue their support and include the clinic.

“We are grateful to Daniel Ford International for their continued sponsorship, especially with the addition of the clinic to help players prepare for the main event. The clinic will update players on the latest techniques and allow them to test their skills against their peers before the tournament begins. We are excited that some participants from the first edition have made it to the national team and represented Nigeria in major tournaments like the African Championships and Games. We hope to see more talent emerge this year,” he said.

This year’s U-19 title battle will feature national team stars Matthew Kuti, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, and Muiz Adegoke.

In the U-15 division, 32 players (16 boys and 16 girls) have been invited to compete. The U-19 category promises to be thrilling, with many national team stars in action at this two-day event, which also serves as the federation’s end-of-year tournament.

For the system of play, the invited players will be drawn into four groups of 4 or 5 players, each with round-robin matches within each group. Two players from each group will qualify for the knockout stage/quarterfinals.