The Peoples Democratic Republic of China has pledged to assist states in the north to develop the game of table tennis at the grassroots level in their localities.
Disclosing this in an interview with Daily Trust, a member of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Alhaji Shebeti Idbo Sule, said the decision follows the table tennis development campaign mounted by the current board of the federation.
Alhaji Sule noted that being a leading table tennis country in the world, the north will benefit hugely from the partnership with China by producing table tennis talents that would bridge the yawning gap between the north and other geo-political zones in the country.
He paid tribute to Zamfara, Kano and Kaduna state governments that have so far responded positively to the development of table tennis in their domains.
“It is of note that China, which dominates the game of table tennis in the world has promised to assist the north with the opportunity to train youths in this particular field. This will go a long way in bridging the gap in the senior and junior categories between Nigeria and others in Africa and world ranking,” Alhaji Sule said.
He therefore called on philanthropists and other states in the north to yield to the request by the federation by sponsoring and coming up with table tennis championship that would improve the fortunes of the sports in the north and Nigeria in general.
