The 2022 South-East inaugural Open Table Tennis Championship kicked off in Enugu on Thursday, the second day of the competition after the screening of players held on Wednesday.
The tournament spanning three days would feature veterans, single, and cadet categories from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, and some tennis clubs within the South-East region, and would take place inside the Indoor Sports Hall of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
The championship is organised by the Enugu Table Tennis Club (ETTC) in collaboration with the Enugu State Table Tennis Association (ETTA) and Enugu Ministry of Youth and Sports.
As for the prizes, the winner for cadets, under 13 years, would take home N70,000, the first-runner up N50,000, and the second runner-up N30,000.
The winner of the men’s singles would go home with N200,000; the first runner-up, N120,000, and the second runner-up N80,000.
For the Junior category, the first position gets N70,000; second, N50,000; and third, N30,000. The grand prize for the veterans has not been determined by the organisers.
The Championship features one hundred and four players: 31 players in the men’s single, nine junior girls, 22 junior boys, 16 veterans, and 26 cadets.
Representative of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Niyi Oladipupo, said he is confident that the championship would get better in subsequent editions, adding that despite the challenges and delays during the screening exercise, the event would serve its purpose of discovery and grooming of talents from the region.
