At least 140 players are currently battling for $1,500 and $1,000 prizes as the 3rd Olusegun Obasanjo National Squash Championship began on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The championship featuring Senior & U16 – Men & Women, Boys & girls – and attracted participants from different states of Nigeria.
The tourney which holds between Tuesday and Saturday is organized by Ogun State Squash Association in collaboration with Nigeria Squash Federation.
The National President, Nigeria Squash Federation, Boye Oyerinde told newsmen that the championship is an international event having being sanctioned by the Professional Squash Association.
Oyerinde flanked by the Ogun State Chairman of Squash Association, Hon Dipo Akingbade; the official sponsor and Chairman of Seagle Property Development company, Otunba Yemi Lawal, and a veteran squash player, Justice Oladehinde Shoremi (retd), described the championship as a monrad event which would “allow players have value for their efforts.”
A monrad draw is a multi-match draw format whereby all players continue to play, win or lose through to a final finishing position.
Oyerinde announced that the prize winner for men category is $1,500 and $1,000 for women.
He said, “To make this event more interesting, we are not having a knock out event. We are having monrad event. All players that come in get to play all the day of the tournament and at the end of the day, they fall in their own positions based on their own performance.
“So, unlike what we had before where a player will travel all the way from, say Akwa-Ibom or Port Harcourt, and he is not even settled, plays his first match and he loses. He gets dejected and wants to go back home. That’s not the case anymore.”
Akingbade explained that the championship was put in place to honour Obasanjo for his contribution towards the promotion and development of the squash game in Nigeria.
The sponsor, who is also Osi Bobagunwa of Egbaland, assured that, the championship will be annual event to discover talents and groom young athletes for national events.
Lawal called on the association to prevail on government at all levels to invest in the Squash game to encourage the players to perform optimally.
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