African Games
NIGERIA’S LONGEST SERVING UMPIRE HONOURED BY AFRICAN TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION
BY DANIEL ETCHELLS.
African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) has acknowledged the immense contribution of Nigerian umpire John Peters and his four decades of service.
At the grand finale of the table tennis event at the ongoing African Games in Morocco’s capital Rabat, Peters was honoured by ATTF President Khaled El-Salhy.
The 73-year-old, who was on duty at his seventh African Games, was described as a role model to upcoming umpires in Africa with his conduct and composure.
“I want to commend Peters for his meritorious service to table tennis,” El-Salhy said.
” Unfortunately, we never had any organised tournaments.”
He added: “Even in the university I was still involved in the sport, having joined the then Nigeria Electric Power Authority (NEPA) as a member of staff.
“My involvement in the sport at NEPA really helped me.
“In 1972, the then President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, Dr Adegboyega Efunkoya, wanted to train a select group of people in umpiring and I was part of the team trained in administering the sport.
After becoming a national umpire, Peters soon made the cut as one of the umpires for the 1973 African Games.
“I made my international debut as an umpire in 1973 and have been officiating table tennis since then,” he said.
“I must admit that table tennis has taken me around the whole world.
“So for me, table tennis is life and that is why I cannot stop my romance with the sport.”
Peters has officiated at a further six editions of the African Games – Nairobi 1987, Abuja 2003, Algiers 2007, Maputo 2011, Brazzaville 2015 and now Rabat 2019.
Apart from his continental duties, Peters handled matches at the Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The only male Nigerian blue badge umpire was also at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and is not quitting the sport any time soon.
“Fortunately, there is no retirement age in umpiring,” Peters said.
“For more than 40 years, Peters has been around table tennis and has contributed immensely to officiating in Nigeria and Africa.
“Despite his age, he is still relevant in the scheme of things in Africa and I must commend him, and I hope other young umpire will take a cue from him.”
Peters, the statistics graduate of Nigeria’s premier tertiary institution, the University of Ibadan, launched his foray into umpiring in 1973 as part of the technical team at the African Games in Lagos in Nigeria.
“I could remember vividly that my first contact with table tennis was in 1958 when I saw my schoolmates using our teacher’s table to play the game,” Peters said.
“I quickly fell in love with the sport.
“Soon, I started beating everybody in my class.
-insidethegames
Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who superintended the 13th African Games held in Accra Ghana in February has died.
He was the Chief Operating Officer of the Accra 2023 Local Organising Committee (LOC).
According to sources in Ghana, Dr. Owusu-Ansah was a sports administrator and coach, and thus left behind, a significant legacy in the world of sports.
Dr Owusu-Ansah, a former Chief Executive of the National Sports Authority (NSA), was widely regarded as an encyclopaedia of sports knowledge.
Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Owusu-Ansah, a former national chief athletics coach, authored the best-selling book “Principles of Abundant Living.”
He played a pivotal role in establishing the Department of Sports Studies at the College of Education at the University of Ghana. Additionally, he served as the Director of the Sports Directorate at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The Africa Students Football Union (ASFU) has expressed condolences over the passing of a patron of the union, Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who served as the COO of the just concluded 13th Africa Games held in Ghana.
Dr. Owusu-Ansah’s death was announced on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
According to a release by the executive secretary of the union, Femi Abioye, Owusu-Ansah until his death contributed immensely to sports development on the continent and the world at large.
He left an indelible impact on the lives of students-athletes coupled with sports administration across Africa countries.
The ASFU’s President, Prof. Oluwaseun Omotayo, who was shocked at the news of the demise of Dr. Owusu-Ansah described the deceased as a pillar, saying his departure has left a great vacuum in sports management.
He relished the deceased contribution and unwavering dedication to ASFU, saying the Union would miss the deceased.
“We will miss Dr. Owusu-Ansah, whose contribution to sports, knew no bounds. He was always ready to serve. He helped build the Union and was pivotal to the Union programmes. We will surely miss him,” he said.
He extended the Union condolences to all those affected by this loss, praying God grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
African Games
A milestone as Egypt becomes the first country to get 100 gold medals in African Games
As the curtain is drawn on the 13th African Games in Egypt, the traditional overall winners, have this time hit a milestone.
They have become the first to hit a 100 gold medal mark in the 59 year history of the games.
As at Saturday morning, they have amassed 101 gold medals, 54 more than that of the second placed Nigeria
The biggest star of the Egyptian team is swimmer Marwan Elkamash, who won five gold medals in the men’s 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 4x200m relays, all in freestyle.
But medal haul is still short that that of his compatriot, Faten Afifi who fished out seven gold medals from the pool.
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