Akure, the peaceful town in Ondo north will come alive with sounds from the tile bags when players from different parts of the country meet in the city for the first time for the South-West Scrabble Tournament in early November.
Beyond the expected gathering of ‘Word Conjurers’ on November 2-3 is the significant impact the tournament will have on the student community which is a highly active in the capital city.
Regaled in the new found prospects the game brings is Prince Adeloye Adetomiwa who sits at the helms of administration as chairman of Sunshine Scrabble Association, Ondo State.
He echoed the fresh feelings reverberating across Ondo State since ‘The Sunshine State’ was selected as the host for this edition.
“I am really really excited, because that is long overdue as we have not hosted a national tournament in over decades. Akure used to be the hub of scrabble activities in the mid 90’s till early millennium.”
He emphasised that the SWSOT coming to his domain “will also create awareness and promote the scrabble game in Ondo State.”
“To me, It is a welcome development. It will availed the scrabble enthusiasts to have a feel of Akure , most importantly the new generation of scrabble players and showcase their skills on the board.
Over 100 players; including a sizeable number of students are expected to navigate their way to Imperial Boni Hotels and Resort in Ijapo Estate for honour, glory, friendship and development.
“Definitely!” Prince Adetomiwa affirmed, “the South-West Scrabble Open Tournament will play a pivotal role in our efforts to make an inroads into all the various levels of educational institutions in Ondo State. Our yet to be unveiled project is targeted at taking scrabble to schools right from the primary schools to the tertiary institutions. Hence, this tournament will make a huge impact on that.”
He continued, “It will also help the students to build up their vocabulary, words power and enhance their mental health. I expect to see a large turnout of scrabble players from across the country having make adequate preparation for them. Definitely it is going be a huge success.”
A top cash prize-money of 500 US dollars as well as other cash prizes will be competed for by players in Division A and B at the two-day tournament.
Credit: Tayo Ogunseye
