All is now set for the commencement of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) national league billed to kick off in Lagos on Thursday, October 9.
According to the Secretary of NTTF, Chinedu Ezealah-Ogundare, the league became necessary following the success of the pilot edition staged early this year.
Thirty teams across the country are expected to take part in the tournament at the National Stadium.
Four players are expected to make up a team and the Olympics system of play would be used to acquaint the players with the new format of play.
Also, the new International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) approved plastic balls will be used during the competition to acquaint the players with the new balls.
The ITTF-approved balls will be deployed during the league, as it will be used in major international competitions, including the forthcoming African Championships holding in November in Sudan, National Coach, Nosiru Bello, said.
ITTF referee, John Peters, said the tournament would also help the federation to select players for the forthcoming African Championship, while individual performance would be considered in the final selection of the players.
In the prospectus, the league will involve 20 male and 10 female teams made up of four players per team and they are expected to garner points to qualify for the top eight and top four, which is the grand finale holding on October 17 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
After the deadline of teams’ registration last Friday, October 3, teams are expected to arrive Lagos for the competition on Wednesday, October 8, to finalise their registration for the championship scheduled to hold at the knock-up hall of the National Stadium.
“We want to ensure that our players are in top shape for major competitions, and this is one of the ways we want to achieve this.
“Also, we are going to use it to select the remaining two slots in the male national team for the African Championship holding in Sudan.
“Already, three players have been pencilled in based on their performance in recent times, and we also want to give the local players the opportunity to be part of the team. That is why we are going to use the league to pick the remaining two players.
“In the female category, we are hoping to pick the best to represent the country in Sudan. We want to be selecting players based on their recent form. With this tournament, we will do this,” the NTTF scribe said.
Among the teams lined up for the league are Union Bank Sports Club, Springfresh, Union Maritime, Police Machine, G20, Nigerian Civil Defence Corps, Sunshine of Akure, Calabar Rovers, Rivers Angel and a host of others.