Rafiu Alarape of Silverbird Television in Ogun State on Wednesday emerged champion of the maiden edition of Ogun State SWAN/Tokunbo Talabi Table Tennis Championship, smiling home with a cash prize of $50.

The Silverbird Television staff defeated Afolabi Sobande of Radio Nigeria/ Paramount FM, Abeokuta by three sets to two in a keenly contested final played inside the Iwe-Iroyin hall of the Ogun State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abeokuta, the State capital

Alarape had lost the first set 8-11 before winning the next two sets 12-10 and 11-9 but failed to win the fourth set, losing 10-12, to put final scores at two sets apiece

He however came forcefully into the decisive set with a hard earned 11-8 win to clinch the trophy and star cash prize of $50 while Sobande finished in the second position with a prize money of $30

To quality for final, Alarape defeated Segun Folarin of Paramount FM Abeokuta in the semi-final while Sobande beat Sunday Adenekan of Ogun State Television (OGTV) in other semi-final of the tournament

Both Adenekan and Folarin who are joint third placed winners went home with a cash prize of $20

Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi who is the financial of the tournament, was full of excitement with the level of participation of members of the state branch of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN)

The SSG who was represented by Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Finance, Mr. Bayo Adenekan, expressed the commitment of the present administration to development of sports to continue to discover great talents and stars from the state such as Segun Torinola, Kehinde Okenla in table tennis, Tobi Amusan who is the world 110m hurdle record holder and the likes

The State SWAN Chairman, Michael Azeez-Ogunsiji appealed to SSG for continuous sponsorship of the tournament annually to promote the game among members

He expressed the readiness of members to make the tournament more competitive, saying most of them have now registered with the table tennis section of the Alake Sports Complex, to work harder on themselves and excell in the future edition of the competition

The SWAN called on stakeholders including philanthropists and corporate organizations to compliment government in the development of sports in the state

“We are calling on multi-national companies to partner with the State Sports Council Council, sports associations in the state to see on how we can galvanized sports to discover future talents for major national and international competitions”, he pleaded

High point of the event was the presentation of special medals to the SSG, State Commissioner of Sports Development, Mr. Wasiu Isiaka and top officials of the State Sports Council

The High Altitude Athletics Club of Jos, one of Nigeria’s premier athletic clubs, has announced its intention to send 25 elite athletes to the upcoming 2023 ECOWAS Abuja International Marathon.

“The ECOWAS race is an excellent platform for our athletes to showcase their talent,” remarked Steve Nuhu, the club’s coordinator and a mentor to numerous long-distance runners in Nigeria.

Nuhu expressed confidence in his team’s ability to sweep the podium, particularly in the women’s category. “Our athletes have been training diligently and are determined to achieve this goal,” he stated.

The ECOWAS Abuja International Marathon, scheduled for December 16, 2023, features two categories: a half marathon and a 5km fun run.

The half marathon winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000, while the second- and third-place finishers will earn $5,000 and $4,000, respectively. The top ten finishers will receive generous prize money, with the fourth place receiving $3,500, fifth place $3,000, sixth place $2,500, seventh place $2,000, eighth place $1,500, ninth place $1,200, and tenth place $1,000.

The winners of the 5km family and fun run will receive $750, the second-place finishers $500, the third-place finishers $400, and the fifth-place finishers $200.

“We at the High Altitude Athletics Club are thrilled about the ECOWAS Abuja International Marathon,” Nuhu stated. “This provides another international stage for our athletes. We have already registered 25 elite athletes, and many fun runners are joining us from Jos.”

While expressing gratitude to ECOWAS for providing opportunities for runners not only in Nigeria but across the sub-region, Nuhu made a particular appeal to Northern Governors to invest in marathon races.

“We applaud ECOWAS’s efforts to promote marathon races in the sub-region. Our appeal goes out to governors, particularly in Northern Nigeria, to take up this responsibility and help our country realize its immense potential in long-distance running. With the right investment in our Northern talents, we can soon compete with Kenyans, Ethiopians, and others,” Nuhu concluded.

Members of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ogun State chapter will go head to head starting from Monday, November 27, 2023 when the Table Tennis Tournament put together by the Association and supported by the Secretary to the state government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi takes centre stage.

The three day event is scheduled to serve off on Monday, and run through Wednesday, 29th November, 2023 at the NUJ Press Centre, Iwe Iroyin House, Oke Ilewo Abeokuta.

The draws for the event was conducted on Wednesday at the SWAN Secretariat.

*The Draws*

PARAMOUNT FM I vs ASSOCIATES II

OGTV I vs CORRESPONDENT II

OGBC I vs CONSOLIDATED II

FEDERATED I vs CONSOLIDATED I

CORRESPONDENT I vs ASSOCIATES I

OGTV II vs FEDERATED II

PARAMOUNT FM II vs OGBC II.

Each chapel is to present two players ( OGUN SWAN MEMBERS).

The Secretary to the state government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi is expected to grace the grand finale alongside the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Wasiu Isiaka among other dignitaries.