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Kwara State athletes recorded notable performances at the BAA Foundation Elicris Cup National Table Tennis Invitational Championship, held from 21 to 23 December 2025 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
In the men’s category, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai progressed to the semifinals after a series of disciplined and consistent outings. His campaign ended at that stage following a 1–4 loss to Muiz Adegoke of Lagos, after which he secured the bronze medal for Kwara State.
The women’s event featured a strong showing by Aiyelabegan Sukurat, who defeated Favour Ojo of Ondo State 4–2 to advance to the final. She faced Ajoke Ojomu of the Abuja Club in a closely contested best-of-seven final.
Aiyelabegan took the opening two games before Ajoke drew level at 2–2, moved ahead 3–2, and was later forced into a deciding game at 3–3. Ajoke eventually prevailed 4–3 to claim the gold medal, while Aiyelabegan finished with the silver medal.
Reacting to the outcome, the Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Mallam Bolakale Adisa Mogaji, described the results as respectable, noting that the athletes showed progress and competitiveness at the national level.
Mogaji, however, challenged the players to raise their ambitions, stressing that Kwara State athletes must always compete with the mindset of winning gold medals.
“It is not a bad result, but we must always aim for gold,” Mogaji said. “The performance is encouraging, but the standard we are building in Kwara State is one where our athletes go into every competition believing they can finish at the very top.”
He added that the steady improvement of Kwara athletes across competitions reflects the sports development direction of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, whose administration continues to prioritise athlete development across both mainstream and non-mainstream sports.
According to Mogaji, sustained preparation, discipline, and exposure to high-level competitions remain key as Kwara State works to strengthen its position in national table tennis.
The championship brought together top players from across the country and served as another platform for assessing emerging and established talents in Nigerian table tennis.
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