Skip to main content

Glamorous ending at revived Ikoyi Club National Badminton Classics

 


Glamorous ending at revived Ikoyi Club National Badminton Classics

It was almost a first time experience for most of the players as the third edition of the Ikoyi Club Badminton Classics ended in grand style last Saturday.

The championship had just been revived after it was last held 24 years ago, meaning that most of the players were not born when it was last held in 1999.

It turned a worthwhile experience as being a classic, only the ranked players were eligible to participate. In this case, only the first 16 ranked players were involved.

It was a thriller from beginning to the end. The opening round was a round robin leading to the quarter-finals which produced the usual suspects - Anuoluwapo Opeyori Juwon (Lagos), Hansen Bello (Oyo), Victor Ikechukwu (Rivers) and Aliyu A.Shehu (Niger) - who proceeded to the semi-finals in the Men's Singles.

 The Women’s Singles event was equally thrilling. Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan (Ogun), Ruth Chinenye Over (Edo), Sofiyat Arinola Obanishola (Rivers) and Deborah Ukeh Divine (Edo) were the survivors in the quarter finals who clichéd the semi final berths.

At this stage,  experience spoke loud. Anuoluwapo Opeyori Juwon secured a comfortable win over Habeeb Temitope  Bello (Oyo) 21-8, 21-7 (2-0) while Victor Ikechukwu (Rivers) was able to overcome Aliyu Alhaji Shehu (Niger) 21-18, 21-19 (2-0) to proceed to the title match in the Men’s Singles.


In the Woman's Semifinals, Dorcas A. Adesokan won over Ruth C.Ibere 21-13, 21-15 (2-0) while Sofiyat A.Obanishola (Rivers) triumphed over Deborah Ukeh Divine (Edo) 21-18, 21-10 (2-0) to book a spot in the final.

The title fights were titanic. Anuoluwapo Opeyori Juwon (Lagos) was able to edge out Victor Ikechukwu (Rivers) 23-21, 17-21, 21-11 (2-1) to win the Men’s Singles title. 

In the Women’s Singles,  Dorcas A.Adesokan (Ogun) was also able to prevail over Sofiyat A.Obanishola of Rivers to win the gold.

During the prize giving, awards and presentations that followed, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso was inducted into the Nigerian Badminton Hall of Fame as the first inductee. It was in recognition of his unwavering dedication and invaluable contribution to the development of badminton in Nigeria and Africa.

The Prize money was as follows:- 

Men’s Singles:

1st                     ​​= N500,000

2nd               ​    ​= N300,000

Joint   3rd & 4th ​= N150,000 each

  5th – 8th  ​     ​​= N100,000 each

  9th - 16th  ​  ​= N50,000 each


Women’s Singles:

1st                     ​​= N500,000

2nd               ​    ​= N300,000

Joint   3rd & 4th ​= N150,000 each

5th – 8th  ​     ​​= N100,000 each

9th - 16th  ​  ​= N50,000 each.


One of the sponsors of the event, Mirror Homes Investment gave title documents for half plots of land in their estate in Lagos to each of the Men’s and Women’s singles winners.


The President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, Francis Orbih expressed his delight at the resounding success of the championship and conveyed the appreciation and gratitude of the Badminton Federation under his leadership and of the players for this great support.

He also reiterated the Board's resolve to go the extra mile in making all avenues of development of the game and players are explored.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

 We Don’t Have FA In Ondo Because Of Dirty Politics- Says Fadoju

  Akinkunle Bolarinwa  Ondo State Football Association is always in the news for wrong reasons and a former board member of the association Moses Fadoju has labelled the current board as ineffective.  In chat with Apexmedia2020.blogspot.com Moses Fadoju stressed that the association is in shambles and incompetent.  "We are backward in Ondo State because of dirty politics that doesn't grow the game". He declared that the Ondo State Football Association has had no plans or projects for football development in the past 4 years. "No programs, no nothing, it is a shame that everything is in shambles here in Ondo without any single development for the game" The Chairman is always absent without leave and so no particular person to lead the association since few of those he imposed on the board can't contribute anything. "He is the diaspora Chairman of Ondo State Football Association because he is always never available to see to the administration of the FA.

Edo Government Bails Bendel Insurance FC Out With A Rickety Bus.

Edo Government Bails Bendel Insurance FC Out With A Rickety Bus. Bendel Insurance players and officials may soon be trekking to Training and  match venues if the issue of transportation is not sorted out before the start of next league stanza. The team's bus has been abandoned due to serious engine problems, however the state government just gave them another rickety bus from the government house and they are on their way to the match training and home games.  With danger locking around every road within the country, it is saddening seeing the rickety buses that some football teams acquired to ferry their players and officials to and fro match venues. Bendel Insurance is in dire need of a new team bus and the state government must act urgently. You will recall that the team has been suffering from the "smoke and move" bus that has recently packed up due to engine failure. The issue of good means of transportation has greatly affected the team's performances in the NPF

Pitch Expert Proffers Solutions To Super Eagles Unimpressive Performances At Home Games

Pitch Expert Proffers Solutions To Super Eagles Unimpressive Performances At Home Games Few football stakeholders have attributed the Super Eagles' inability to secure the three points against Lesotho in last Thursday's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier to the not too good enough pitch of Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Concerned sports enthusiasts have however called on the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF to ensure a safer and durable pitches for Super Eagles to thrive, especially for home games. Certified pitch construction expert and chief executive officer of Monimichelle Pitch Construction Company, Ebi Egbe stated that the Super Eagles were unable to adjust to the nature of the pitch provided for that encounter. "Our boys will always find it difficult to adjust to slow pace football in just a few days of training. Our foreign legions are used to speed football". Egbe added that the Nest of Champions pitch needs adequate maintenanc