7th July, 2011
 Nasiru Bello is one of the national Table Tennis coaches. He spoke with Seun Bisuga about the performance of the ping pongers in the Sports Festival.
How do you see the performance of table tennis players in Port Harcourt?
I am impressed with the performance of the players so far. I’m really impressed with the upsets we have recorded in both the men and women’s singles in the competition. These show that the game is improving. We have seen top players as well as upcoming players too. I must confess that the future of the game is bright. I foresee more upsets before the end of the festival.
How do you feel seeing young players coming through the ranks?
That is the reason for the Games. We need young and promising players to replace the old ones. We need talents all the time. And after the sports festival, we will get these youngsters together and see how we can groom them for the future. We will camp them with the old ones where they can integrate and learn more for a month or two. This will help them in the future. For instance, we have foreign and home-based professionals and the new ones have to find their rhythm.
What do you make of the skills and techniques?
They have shown a lot of flair and skills but they still need a little adjustment to help them get in shape for bigger competitions. When they get to the national level, they will learn more from the coaches and senior colleagues.