Nigeria junior table tennis player, Esther Oribamise has called on government and private organisations to invest in the junior players to bring out the best in them
Oribamise and three North African players will represent Africa at the Youth Olympics in Argentina in October.
Oribamise in a chat with aclsports.com, said preparing for such competition (Youth Olympics) entails attending a few international tournaments where she can compete in the junior category and meet with some opponents, who will probably be attending the Games.
The Nigeria number one-ranked junior female table tennis player revealed that she wants to return to the country with a medal.
“For now, the preparations for the Games have been very slow because there has been no support yet from the government. Preparing for such a competition entails attending a few international tournaments where I can compete in the junior category and meet with some opponents, who will probably be attending the Games too”, she said.
“But I have been managing what I have and training hard with my coach (Olubode Ajayi) to ensure that whenever the Youth Olympics camp is eventually opened, I would not be found wanting. I want to come back with a medal from Argentina”, Oribamise said.
She explained that few people who believe in them and are helping out but there are more players who still need assistance to realise their full potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with a lot of talented table tennis players in the junior category, who can beat the Egyptians at any level of the competition if the right things are done. The government and private organisations really need to invest in the junior players to bring out the best in us”.
Oribamise qualified for the Youth Olympic Games in Tunisia last year
