Lagos wins maiden National School Racket Games

Lagos at the weekend won four gold, two silver and three bronze medals to become the inaugural champions of the National Schools Racket Games.

The five-day competition, organised by the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF) in partnership with the Nigeria Badminton Federation (NBF) and Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, with contestants from 13 states of the federation vying for honours in table tennis and badminton.

Ondo took the second position with four gold medals, while Kwara came third with three gold and six bronze medals.

The outstanding performance at the event came from the Akanbi sisters of Lagos, who dominated most of the events in singles and doubles.

Speaking at the end of the competition, an elated NSSF President, Olabisi Joseph, promised that the federation would look ensure more states featured in the second edition of the games also billed for Lagos next year.

“We in NSSF are grateful to God that this maiden edition of the National Schools’ Racket Games ended successfully.

“As you can see, many talented stars in badminton and table tennis were discovered here and it is good we will see that these ones are given encouragement to actualise their dreams in their chosen fields.

“Kudos must go to all the kids and their teachers for a successful event. Special thanks also goes to the Lagos State Sports Commission, alongside the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation and the Badminton Federation of Nigeria for their technical support.”

Nkana Mbora, who represented the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, hailed the quality of competition, officiating and skills exhibited by the budding stars from schools. She also charged the students, who took part in the competition, to put all their experiences into use to help the country achieve success in sports.