Stage Set for 3rd Aruna Quadri Table Tennis Open

Plans have been concluded for the staging of the 3rd Aruna Quadri National Table Tennis Open starting from November 29 to December 3 at Eko Club in Lagos.

The tournament which started as a cadet tournament has grown to become a national open for senior, junior, and cadet players within and outside Lagos state.

The tournament is organised by Aruna Sports and Academy with support from Eko Club and Olusoga Odunayo Adesanya Foundation Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA) will provide the technical backing.

For the 2023 edition, top players have expressed interest in being part of the championships as former champions like Tobi Adebakin and Kehinde Akanbi are ready to reclaim the titles they won at the maiden edition in 2021.

According to the coordinator of the tournament, Ganiat Aruna, the essence of the championships was to unearth new talents that would step into the shoes of African champion Quadri Aruna in the near future.

“Our aim is to discover more talents by catching them at a younger age as well as to discover more talents like Quadri Aruna in the near future. We hope to help improve the physical fitness and health of children to maintain a healthy lifestyle through table tennis by preventing a range of health issues such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in children as it has increased dramatically in recent decades,” she added.

“We also want to develop valuable teamwork and leadership skills that can help foster a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect among team members as well as build critical skills such as problem-solving, decision-making and conflict resolution to prepare to lead in the society,” the former national junior champion said.

Specifically, she said: “Our aim is to take the kids off the street by giving them a meaningful life through sports. And above all, we want to keep encouraging them that their education is more important because education is the best legacy.”