Table Tennis Championship: Abia children beat Cross River, others

Table Tennis teenagers from Abia State beat all comers at the just concluded Edem Offiong mini tournament held at UJ Esuene Stadium Calabar yesterday.

The 3-day Table Tennis tournament featured children ages from 7 to 16 from five states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers State in various categories.

The mini-tournament, the third in the series, was sponsored by the Offiong Edem Foundation.

Chineye Okafor of Abia State beat her Cross River counterpart, Esther Ekok, by three sets to two in the final.

In the Under 14 Boys category, David Uche of Abia State also defeated his Cross River counterpart, Daniel Ekok with three straight sets to emerge victorious.

In the Under 17 Girls category Idoreyin Udoka of Cross River State defeated her rival Vivian Oku also from Cross River with three sets to two to emerge Champion.

Mathew John of Bayelsa State defeated Bright Joel of Cross River State by three sets to two in the Under 17 Boys category.

The chief coach of Abia State Table Tennis, Ifeoma Isaac commended the initiative to organize the tournament which has spurred the children.

She said Table Tennis is lacking sponsorship and the zone has been producing Table Tennis champions, stating that Cross River State has always been the home of Table Tennis.

Offiong Edem, four times Olympic champion who plays professional Table Tennis in Spain, said sponsoring the tournament in the last three years is her own way of giving back as well as to discover and sustain new Table Tennis stars in the country