Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
The South South zonal representative in the board of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, Mr. Ama-ebi Ebikpolade Stow has attributed lack of facilities as the reason behind the slow progress of Table Tennis in the zone.
Mr. Ebikpolade made this known during a live interaction with “Sport Tribe Podcast” at the newly constructed Fortress at Oxbow-Lake in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
He said when he assumed office as chairman of the Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association that he and his vice chairman, Mr. Ranani Igrubia sat and identified key areas of improvement and realized that lack of facility was a major problem bedeviling table tennis in the state.
According to him, the only state in Nigeria that can boast of table tennis facilities was Lagos and Cross River in the South South, stating that table tennis previously was played in NTTF unapproved floor, and that the narrative changed.
NTTF zonal boss stated that the desire to construct the state of the art edifice for table tennis rather than his initial plan of building a mechanic shop was as a result of the passion he has developed for table tennis, saying that he has no regret investing hugely in the youths.
Mr. Ebikpolade explained that prior to his appointment as chairman, that majority of the coaches in the association were yet to secure their National Institute of Sports, NIS certificate which according to him is the only certified certificate of the NTTF for someone to be a gaffer.
The Bayelsa State chairman further explained that the latest coach to benefit from the NIS program was Azibalua Abadi from Ogbia LGA that the association would not condone mediocrity but rather excellence, noting that the state umpires has also gained from training exercise in order to be acquainted with the laws.
He asserted that apart from winning laurels for the state, the association was committed to ensuring that all the athletes combine sports and education, pointing out that all the athletes are currently attending one of the best private universities in the country.
Mr. Ebikpolade remarked that since his emergence as the table tennis boss, Bayelsa has closed the gap between them and other states in the nation, particularly Lagos, stressing that Bayelsa has in the last few years become a force to reckon with in Nigeria.
He opined that the commissioner for Sports Development, Dr. Igali and the Director of Sports, Sir. Braveman Wodi has made things easy for the association, pointing out that his priority at the moment is for the athletes to give the state good representation in the National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
Also, former Bayelsa State Table Tennis star, Ateh Maiduguri, said the new generation of players are lucky to have Ama-ebi Stow as chairman describing them as privileged.
He hinted that in their playing days, table tennis was almost dropped from going to competition outside the state due to their shambolic outings in tournaments, maintaining that he is elated to see the progress of the sports under Ama-ebi’s watch.
Maiduguri urged the multinational oil companies, financial institutions and well meaning Bayelsans to get involved in the development of sports, saying that the government cannot do it alone.
