The Chairman of the Niger State Tennis Association, Ahmed Jibrin, has called on the youths in the State to embrace the sport of tennis in order to move the game forward.
Jibrin said this while presenting awards to the winners of the 2022/2023 Chairman’s Tennis Cup competitions for boys and girls, held at the Minna Tennis Club.
The Chairman said the championship was organised to promote tennis games from the grassroots, develop talents in the younger players and prepare them ahead of this year’s tennis tournament.
“Tennis games have been part of my passion for years and that made me an active player,” Niger State Tennis Association Chairman Jibrin said.
“I played both junior and senior national tournaments, supported by the state government, philanthropists and members of the tennis club in the state. It is a great joy to me to give back my support to the younger ones,”
In her remarks, the Vice Chairman of the Association, Sadiya Mohammed, thanked all members of the Tennis Associations for their support and encouragement for the young tennis players in the State. She said the association will work hard to help children in the state develop their talents in tennis.
According to Mohammed, tennis is a good sport that helps in maintaining health, fitness, strength and agility.
“It also has social and psychological benefits. You can play with a club or with friends and family as a social activity,” Mohammed added.
- Read more: Isiokpo Bicycle Festival Holds In Nigeria
Mohammed said the association is always ready to support the upcoming players in the state. She said the association had travelled to Lagos State to support the young players that participated in the tennis national Under-14 boys championships as part of its mandate.
At the competition in Lagos, she said Shamsudeen Bello from Niger State, amidst over 150 players from different states, emerged winner, while Elisha Kwange also from Niger would represent Nigeria in a tennis competition in Togo for the Male category.
She added that Emmanuella Kwange had done well in the girl category during the tennis championships that took place in Abuja and Plateau state. At the chairmanship competition, Elisha Kwange emerged first position in the boys categories, while Emmanuella Kwange trashed Destiny Tomishere by 6 points to emerge first in the girls category.
Meanwhile, sets of tennis training wear such as Jerseys, bags and training canvas were presented to the winners of the Chairman’s Tennis Cup 2022/2023 competitions.
