Femi Atolagbe

As the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) draws nearer, the head coach of Ondo State Table Tennis, Adedotun Omoniyi has declared that the game is a nobody’s game, saying his players are capable of beating anybody irrespective of their status in the ping pong game.

He said table tennis is not like other games that can be easily predicted, saying despite the fact that his players did well in Edo 2020,they are still hungry for better performance in the forthcoming National Sports Festival slated for Asaba in the next few days.

He added that some of his players were jittery when they saw some champions at the last National Sports Festival, but I encouraged them not to look at status, but go all out to do what they know how best to do, at the end, they came out victorious against all the senior players .

The National table tennis Coach in a chat with Sporting Hope added that they won two gold ,two bronze medals in Edo 2020, adding that their target now is to improve on the feat recorded in the 20th edition of the national fiesta.

Omoniyi said: “It has never happened since 1951 for a team to win men team event four times back to back, we won it in Edo 2020 National Sports Festival, we did same a year later in Edo State in a championship that featured all the 36 states in the country. Also, another championship in Lagos and Osogbo, so we are the first to win men event back to back four times.”

“The Lagos championship was all states against Ondo State, they brought players from Delta, Lagos, Rivers and other, when we  complained to the ITTF, they said what they did was not against the rules of the game, but to the Glory of God, we defeated them 3-2.”

Omoniyi while thanking the state government for their support ,said his players will continue to put in their best to make the state proud.

He said: “Despite all the great feats we have achieved, we are not going to be complacent ,we have been training day and night, because we don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

According to him, the government has done its part by releasing funds for the games, but we are calling on sports loving individuals and corporate bodies to come and support the government in developing sports in the state.

“Sports is money spinning in nature and government can not do it alone, so we are appealing to philanthropists to join hands with government to help in returning the state to where it belongs among the comity of states,” he said.