The Vice chairman of Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association, Mr. Amaebi Stowe has donated a standard table tennis board for use by players in the state.
He said his gesture is aimed at ensuring that players in Bayelsa State compete favourably with their counterparts in other parts of the world.
- ‘World Table Tennis Federation hopes to produce more stars like Quadri
- Quadri, Meshref lead table tennis stars to 2020 ITTF Africa top 16 Cup
Mr. Stowe, while speaking with Sports writers in Yenagoa after the donation, said his dream and aspiration is to promote table tennis in the state and also shift the attention away from football.
According to him, if proper attention is given to the game of table tennis in the state, it would enable the state to discover promising talents that would fly the state’s flag globally in major competitions.
While calling on the state government to provide necessary facilities for table tennis players Bayelsa state, he added that with the current state Director of Sports, he is optimistic that table tennis would get the needed results in the now suspended 2020 National Sports Festival.
He said the only way table tennis players in Bayelsa state could rise to prominence like Aruna Quadiri and Olufunke Oshonaike is to invest in the game.
Also speaking, Director of Sports in the Bayelsa State Sports Council, Mr Braveman Wodi, noted that the gesture by Amaebi Stowe has further demonstrated that there are good Bayelsans who are ready to give back to the sports sector.
He also pointed out that Mr. Stowe on his own has sponsored players to national events in the past.
Wodi, therefore, called on well meaning Bayelsans and corporate organizations to assist the association to improve the game of tennis in the state.