NSF: Wheelchair tennis players apologise to Sports Minister over protest

By Ifeanyi Eduzor

Following the decision of the Sports Ministry to exclude wheel chair tennis from the forthcoming National Sports Festival to be hosted by Delta State later this month because of their role in the recent demonstration by special athletes, wheelchair tennis players in the country have tendered a public apology to the Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, appealing to him to have the only para sports left out re-absorbed in the National Sports Festival.
In a press conference they held on Friday, Chairman of Wheelchair tennis players, Shodipo Lateef said that after reflecting on their action on October, 17, they’ve accepted their mistake and thanked the Minister for including Para and Deaf Sports in the Festival and plead passionately to the Minister to rescind the decision of not allowing wheelchair tennis in the Sports Festival.
” You all would recall that on October, 17 this year, some of us where on the street to peacefully protest the exclusion of Para and Deaf Sports from the forthcoming National Sports Festival billed for Asaba, Delta State later this month.
” The Sports Ministry was not pleased with our action and upon reflection we also thought we could have done things differently. After the protest, the Deaf and all the Para Sports except wheelchair tennis were included in the Festival.
” We held a meeting and resolved to do a letter of apology to the Minister. The letter was written on October, 26 and immediately dispatched to the Minister. In the same letter, we thanked the Minister for including Para and Deaf Sports in the Festival and also pleaded with him to forgive us and include our Sports in the festival.
However, they said that two weeks after the letter of apology was sent to the Minister, they’ve not gotten any response which prompted the open apology.
The athletes described the Sports Minister as a compassionate father who has stood by them since assumption of office and hope he will tamper justice with mercy and forgive them as they’ve been training for the country’s version of the Olympics.
According to him, apart from several international outings including participation in London 2012 Paralympic Games, wheelchair tennis has brought honour to the country which prompted International Tennis Federation ( ITF) to give Nigeria hosting right for 2024 Paralympic Games qualifiers next year February and it looks odd that a country that will host Olympics qualifiers will not allow their athletes participate in National Sports Festival where they’re supposed to prepare well ahead of the qualifiers.
Team captain, Tosin Dawodu noted that they would have travelled to Abuja to personally apologize to the Minister but are hampered by the insecurity on the road to Abuja.
She further explained that Nigeria is a leading force in wheelchair tennis in Africa and has gone to introduce the game to other African countries through the ITF noting that she is convinced that as a father who has shown love to special athletes, he will re-absorb wheelchair tennis in the festival as many of the players depend on the sports for survival.
“There is no doubt that special sports have enjoyed tremendous support since the Minister assumed office. He was the person that insisted that our allowance will be in parity with that of the able athletes and we know that as a listening father, he will accept our apology and forgive us.
” Right now, we can’t imagine the effect of not having wheelchair tennis in the festival on the players who have been toiling day and night under the sun and rain preparing for the festival and that’s why we’re appealing to the Sports Minister and Mr. Peter Nelson Director of Para Sports in the Ministry to accept our apology “, she concluded.
The athletes displayed placards with different inscriptions appealing to the Minister to accept their apology and allow wheelchair tennis to be part of the Festival.