Daily Independent Online.
*
Monday,July 19, 2004.
Nigeria picked as wheelchair tennis
regional center
Stories by Anthony
Abolo, Jr.
Reporter, Lagos
International Tennis
Federation’s Development
Officer for West and Central Africa , Achille Takpa says Nigeria will be made a
regional centre for the development and co ordination of wheelchair tennis in West and Central
Africa. He spoke at the ITF|CAT West and Central Africa 13 and under circuit at
the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos last week.
Takpa said “after watching the
players, I must confess that I am highly impressed with what I have seen today
. The players are very good and the standard is quite high and comparable with
what you would normally find in Europe.”
He noted that there was still a long way to
go as the players lacked the basic equipment needed to play and improve their
careers like racquets, balls,etc and announced the donation of some equipment
with a promise of more support especially in the area of providing wheelchairs
to enable the players fulfill their ambitions of playing in spite of their conditions.
.
Speaking further, he said he would
report all he had seen in Nigeria
so that the ITF could find
ways to assist Nigeria to improve and develop the game in Africa.
In his reaction, head of the wheelchair
department of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Mulero Brown said he was highly
elated by the pronouncements of Takpa and said he would increase his efforts to
see that the players begin to take part in international events. He also said that Nigeria was now
registered as a full member country of the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation . Brown said the proposed championship the
wheelchair tennis department was
planning would be coming up soon probably at the end of the month and
that more discussions were still
continuing with possible sponsors .
Brown disclosed that the response so far has been
encouraging especially with the donation of tennis equipment by Ikoyi Club and
said that more sponsors were still
needed so that the championship
could be an annual affair .
Wheelchair tennis was introduced about
three years ago and is fast becoming popular in Nigeria. Recently, the ITF
donated some second hand wheelchairs to the Nigeria Tennis Federation.Brown
said that soon, he would be going to London to bring them to the country for the
use of the players .
