By Odey Ojeka
The organiser of the Ugep Open Table Tennis Tournament, Mr Okoi Arikpo Omini, CEO of BLAKKAM Urban Livestock and Farms Limited and Hands Around the Neighborhood, was in Calabar to support and collaborate with the Offiong Edem Foundation on its upcoming national table tennis competition.
The meeting, held in Calabar, centered on strengthening the development of table tennis in Cross River State. The Chairman of the Cross River State Table Tennis Federation, Mr Usen was also present.
The Offiong Edem Foundation Table Tennis Competition is open to all table tennis players across all ages and categories in the country. The tournament will begin this week Thursday, 13th of August at the U.J. Esuene Sports Stadium, Calabar.
Meanwhile, the Ugep Open Table Tennis Tournament organised by Mr Okoi Arikpo Omini will commence next week Wednesday 19th of August at Ukpawen Square, Ijiman, Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area of the state.
Offiong Edem is a professional table tennis player from Nigeria. She was born on December 31, 1986, in Calabar, Cross River State. She started playing table tennis at the age of 10 and quickly rose to prominence through local competitions in her hometown.
Edem has represented Nigeria in four Olympic Games, with her most recent appearance in Tokyo 2021. She was also part of the Nigerian team that won the women’s team bronze medal at the 2004 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. In 2023, her Italian club, Quattro Mori, won the European Female Table Tennis Cup.
Over the years, she has won multiple gold medals at the All African Games and other international tournaments. She is currently ranked among the top players in Africa and was once ranked 98th in the world and National No. 1 table tennis player in Nigeria.
Some of her major accomplishments include:
1. Commonwealth Games 2004: Women’s Team Bronze Medal
2. All African Games: Multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze medals from 2003 to 2019
3. African Championships: Gold medals in Singles and Doubles in 2004 and 2007
4. Olympic Games: Athens 2004, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2021
5. European Cup Winner 2023 with Quattro Mori, Italy
6. National Sports Festival: Multiple Gold medals in IMO 98, Bauchi 2000, Edo 2002, Ogun 2006.
As part of giving back to her community, Offiong Edem founded the Offiong Edem Foundation to build and nurture future champions.
The foundation, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, RC No. 162764, has provided table tennis equipment worth over ₦3,000,000 in the last two years to support young players in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South LGA.
This year, the foundation will provide equipment and other items worth over ₦4,000,000 to support young table tennis players across more LGAs in Cross River State.
With two major tournaments set for Calabar and Ugep this August, table tennis lovers in Cross River State are in for an exciting period of competition and talent discovery.