By Aliyu DANLADI
Team Nigeria para table tennis players left Lagos on Sunday for the 2018 World Para Table Tennis Championships in Beijing, China, TBI Africa reportsa.
The team, comprising one female and three males, departed aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
The lone female athlete is Faith Obazuaye, while her male counterparts are Nasiru Bello, Tajudeen Agunbiade and Olufemi Alabi.
The team is led by Anderson Bankole, the handler of para athletes of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).
It also has Victor Anusa, former Secretary of the NTTF. The athletes will be guided by Sunday Odebode, their Coach.
The championships will serve off on Aug. 27 and end on Sept. 3.
Bankole said on telephone before departure that the athletes were fully prepared for the task ahead.
He said that they had trained rigorously for the tournament. “They were in camp for one month prior to this competition and before they were called to camp they had been training on their own.
“We believe in them and their abilities and I’m optimistic they will make the country proud. They should however, play all games cautiously with their eyes on the target.”
Bankole, who is also a Deputy Commissioner of Police, however, appealed to Nigerians resident in China to come and encourage their compatriots.
“Having Nigerians around motivating them will spur them into putting their utmost into the championships, he said, noting that the championship was part of the Olympic qualifiers.
