For ten days, the 12-man Lagos table tennis team were exposed to top flight training at the Chinese National Training Centre in Hebei, China and after returning,? they admitted that they are at the right frame of mind to dominate the event at the 18th National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012.?? Speaking at the weekend after their arrival aboard an EthiopiaAirlines from Beijing, Team captain, Ayo Omotara could not hide his joy, saying they are keen on demolishing any team at the festival.? Omotara, son of former international, Titus, admitted that some of the lapses in the team have been perfected in China. “We are happy that we went, saw and learn a lot and we are hoping to put the experience to use when the festival begins in November. There is no doubt that the facilities at the Training Centre were excellent and we utilized it very well. This is an experience that will remain with us forever.
We are now using this opportunity to assure the government that we will return the state to the zenith of the game at the festival. The team is indeed ready and we hope to continue to use the knowledge we acquired in China in our training,” Omotara assured.?? For Olajide Omotayo, among the things that he learn from the trip were speed, accuracy, endurance and discipline, which he hopes to use in the course of his career. “I think the speed, accuracy and endurance of the Chinese were some of the things I picked from China. For me, all these will indeed help me as a player and for us, the discipline of the Chinese is one of things we took away from the China training tour,” he said.? For the duo of Funke Hassan and Fatimo Bello, the trip has afforded them the chance to learn new techniques in the game. Hassan, who has represented Nigeria at various international tournaments, taking part in the training tour, would aid the team in its quest to reclaim the title from Ondo State at the festival. “I want to say that the tour is an eye-opener for the players and this alone will assist them to conquer teams at the festival, she said.?? Southpaw Bello said she leant to move well on table in China. “One thing that I picked from China is how to move well on table and for me, I will continue to work on this before the commencement of the festival,” Bello admitted.? The leader of the 15-man delegation, John Peters said with the training coupled with the exposure to top class facilities, he was sure that the team would surpass its previous performance at the festival come November.?? Peters, who is the longest serving table tennis referee in the country, however, admitted that the players are now determined to reciprocate the gesture of the state government by making the state proud at Eko 2012.
The 10-day training tour was bankrolled by Lekki Free Zone Development Company and it was made possible following the partnership between Office of Sports, Lagos State Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development and Corporate Leisure Limited.
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