The inaugural Abiru Mixed Team Table Tennis Championships were held yesterday in Lagos’ Teslim Balogun Stadium’s Molade Thomas-Okoya Indoor Sports Hall, with 150 players from 30 teams competing. Two teams from Togo and the Benin Republic were added to the SAIL Empowerment Foundation-sponsored tournament, reflecting the tournament’s growth to West Africa.On Saturday, November 1, the competition will come to a close. Senator Mukhail Abiru emphasized the tournament’s congruence with his youth development ideology during his remarks at the event’s press conference. Our approach to youth development extends beyond computer laboratories and classrooms. Great sportsmen share the same qualities as great innovators: discipline, focus, and teamwork. “We founded the Senator Abiru Mixed Team Table Tennis Championships in 2024, the first of its kind in Africa, on this principle as a way to use sports to celebrate excellence, inclusivity, and community spirit,” he stated. He continued by noting that this year’s competition represents an exciting advancement and that the overall prize money has grown by more than 37%, from N4 million to N5.5 million.
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