OVER 30 years after making his final appearance at the annual Asoju Oba Cup, former Nigeria table tennis international star Atanda Musa is set to make a return.
The legend, who reigned in the 1980s and early 1990s, will make a special appearance during the grand finale of the 53rd edition of Africa’s oldest table tennis tournament on Tuesday at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.
The 61-year-old Musa, who is now based in the United States of America, will be the special guest at the tournament that launched his career in the 1980s.
Musa, who won Commonwealth Games and African Games gold medals at his peak, is expected to play ‘friendly’ games against some of the up-and-coming players at the final of the 53rd edition of the Lagos competition.
The Asoju Oba Cup, which started in 1968 as an annual competition financed by the late Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas in commemoration of his installation as the Asoju Oba of Lagos by the late King of Lagos Adeyinka Oyekan, has produced top stars including Musa Bose Kaffo, Yomi Bankole and a host of others for Nigeria.
The Lagos State Table Tennis Association, Tunji Lawal, believes the presence of Musa will inspire the athletes competing.
Lawal added that there are plans to partner with the former Olympian to develop the sport across Lagos.
“We are excited that the family of Okoya-Thomas has kept faith with the sponsorship of the championships which has also been helping us to keep our players in top shape for major events. We hope to build on this with the hope that we will continue to attract more sponsors to table tennis in Lagos because we are hopeful that we can produce the next superstars in the sport just like Atanda Musa,” Lawal said.
