Tennis champ, Akpan bemoans high cost of training equipment

A two time Olympic and women single champion, Cecilia Otu Akpan has said that it is increasingly difficult for individual Table Tennis players to equip themselves due to high cost of materials needed for the game.

She spoke to journalists at the just concluded maiden Calabar Table Tennis annual tournament which was sponsored by Ntufam Edim Inok.

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Cecilia said the sport needs much supports especially from the private sector because it is a game which equipment are very costly which upcoming or interested players cannot afford.

“The rubber I use in playing is about N85,000 and I change it every six weeks for optimal performance, so, imagine a young girl or boy coming to play without sponsorship, it will be very difficult.”

She maintained that the future of the game might not be very attractive to new stars.

“It is hard for me to say the future is bright for table tennis in Nigeria except we have sponsors coming up to provide equipment; that is all we need because the game is in our heads.

“A lot of young ones who are supposed to come up and meet us are still there because they lack sponsorship and can’t afford the equipment used in the sport, the private sector just needs to come in and assist.”