After the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) punctured the yearly International Tennis Federation (ITF) Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship, the leadership of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) is working round the clock to organise a championship for the country’s players.
Sani Ndanusa
Sources close to the NTF informed TheNiche that the President of NTF, Sani Ndanusa, has concluded talks with a company for the organisation of the championship in Abuja to keep the Nigerian players busy during the period slated for the ITF tournament.
He said: “The NTF is doing everything possible to ensure that the players are kept busy and out of the street. That is why this championship is being put in place.
“Right now, talk has been concluded, and once the officials of the company are back in the country any time from now, the championship will hold in Abuja.”
According to our source, players across the country will be invited to participate in the championship to make up for the absence of the yearly Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship.
“We are expecting a large turn-out during the championship, and logistics have been concluded to make the players, officials and all stakeholders participate successfully in the championship.
“We don’t want a situation where the players would not have anything doing, since the ITF-sanctioned Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship would not be holding for the first time since it served off in 2000.”
Apart from the EVD, the ITF officials complained bitterly of insecurity in the country as regards the Boko Haram menace and feared the safety of the foreign players that would take part in the championship.
The EVD forced the organisers of the ITF championship to put off the championship, making the event the fourth sporting event to be put off in the country.
The EVD, which has also caused the postponement of not less than three major international competitions in Lagos – the annual Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation (CCSF) International Taekwondo Tournament, Aspire Football Dream event, and the yearly Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship – is the major reason for the suspension of the ITF-sanctioned championship.
