Organisers Raise Prize Money For RON Open Table Tennis Tourney

To attract more players to this year’s Reach Out Nigeria (RON) Open Table Tennis Championship, organisers have increased the prize money to N3 million.

Coordinator of the tournament, Ayo Olufemi, said in a statement made available to P.M.NEWS Sports Wednesday that the prize money has been raised by 50 percent in order to encourage more players within and outside the country to be part of the one-week tournament holding next week in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

“We actually started the competition at local level in Uyo with initial prize money of N1 million, but last year we increased it to N2 million and this year, we are staking N3 million for all the top three players in the 10 events to be competed for during the competition. For us, this is a community development project of Uyo branch of Christ Embassy and we will continue to add innovation every year,” he said.

Olufemi, however, said that the tournament most times coincides with the annual Reach Out Nigeria Campaign, an initiative of Love World Ministry to celebrate Nigeria’s Independence anniversary.

“With the RON tournament, table tennis is fast becoming a bride to sponsor as most of the players that had featured in the competition are now national champions. For us, this is a way to touch lives positively across the country and another avenue by the church affects the lives

of others,” he added.

For the international umpire, John Peters, this year’s tournament hopes to be better organised, as the experience garnered during the recently held Lagos International Table Tennis Classics would be handy for the officials.

Peters, however, assured that age cheats among the players would be taken serious by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) as thorough screening would be carried out among the junior players.

Meanwhile, champion and runner up at the first Lagos International Table Tennis Classics, Cecilia Otu-Akpan and Edem Offiong have confirmed their participation in the tournament.

The players who are at present shaping up for the competition in Calabar are hoping to re-enact their form that aided their success at the Lagos Classics.

Southpaw Seun Ajetunmobi and Offiong are defending champions in the men and women singles events.