Nigerian International Ogenyi Onazi has praised the ongoing 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships in Lagos, describing it as a good platform for talent discovery and development in table tennis.
The former Super Eagles midfielder, who attended the event, spoke to Bold Sports about his personal passion for table tennis and stressed the importance of giving the sport more recognition in Nigeria.
“I’m a professional football player, but I love table tennis as well. So I play table tennis as well, and I’m just here to cheer the guys up, and you know, we are all Nigerians and we want to encourage sports, and that is why I’m here,” he said.
Onazi, who has spent two days watching the tournament, commended the level of competition on display and reiterated the need for greater support and visibility for table tennis in the country.
More Read
“An amazing tournament so far, I’ve been here two days now and I’ve seen a lot of talent and great competition here, and I think this sport needs more attention too as well.”
“I was speaking with the president, I was telling him that the sport is not being publicised very well in Nigeria. I just heard about it from when I was training in table tennis and they told me that they have the tournament here, and then the bigger one too is starting on Tuesday I guess.”
Onazi concluded by calling for more investment and attention to be directed toward the sport, highlighting the number of young talents participating in the championship.
“I think it’s a very very good avenue for young players, you can see as well a lot of young talent out here, you know, we need to put more attention on this table tennis tournament.”
The tournament will climax on Saturday, July 19, when champions will be crowned in both the men’s and women’s singles events. Ten nations, including host Nigeria, are participating in the championship, with the top three teams in each category securing qualification for the African Championships in October.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
