In the spirit of the slogan ‘Catch them young’ and the global practice of encouraging the youths to develop and showcase their talents in sporting activities, the Ogbomoso Recreation Club has organized a Table Tennis Competition amongst the community’s people.
Speaking on the maiden competition, the President of the Club, Dr Akinwumi Oladeji John Brown, said the program was organized to discover the hidden innate talents in the youths, encourage them to develop their abilities by giving them the necessary support that would make them superstar and compete at the state, national and even international levels.
He observed that those making waves in table tennis and other areas were discovered by people who provided much-needed support to boost their morale.
According to Dr Oladeji John Brown, Ogbomosoland is blessed with young, talented players. However, they are obscure because the country lacks the support and facilities to bring them into the limelight.
He said it is in the realization that the ORC has taken it upon itself to organize this competition, adding that the Club has facilities that would enhance and promote individual dexterity in table tennis to enable them to compete at any level.
Also speaking about the event, the Sports Secretary and Chairman of the Planning Committee, Professor Olajide Ajao said the 3- day competition is being sponsored by the Club with the support of friends and well-wishers who have keyed into the noble idea of catching the young and encourage them to develop their skills. He said this would kill idleness in the youths and even be a source of employment as they can become professional table tennis players in the future.
He said the Club starts with table tennis and will extend to other sporting events.
The ceremony starts on Thursday, 19 January. It ends on Saturday, 21, with the distribution of prizes to the winners of the various categories, noting that there will be consolation prizes, too, to encourage and motivate people to participate in the organized competition by the Ogbomoso Recreation Club.