Young Stars Shine as 6th Mama Tunde Alaso Racket Festival Wraps Up in Ibadan

The 6th edition of the National Racket Festival ended in grand style at the Ibadan Recreation Club, opposite Adamasingba Stadium, Ibadan, with thrilling finals in Badminton, Squash and Tennis that showcased the depth of Nigeria’s young talent.

The week-long tournament, organized by Nigerian ex-squash international Adekunle Adebiyi, drew over 140 players from across the country to compete for honours in the three racket sports.

The event, held annually in memory of Adebiyi’s mother, was described by the host as his biggest edition yet.

“It’s an annual event in remembrance of my mom and it’s just a way of giving back this year,” Adebiyi said. “As you know it’s probably the biggest that I’ve held and it’s just for the kids to be happy and I’m glad that they turned out. Yeah, over 140 something kids, tennis, badminton and squash, so I’m pleased with the turnout.”

He said the festival is more than competition.
“You may call it investment, I call it giving back. When you invest you probably expect to get something back but there’s no expectation. What I’m looking forward to is for these kids to turn out good in life, to become champions and to go to high places. That would be my joy. And I believe from what I’ve seen, there’s a bunch of talents. With the right support they can go to any length.”

This year’s edition returned to Oyo State after previous editions moved across states.

“As you know, this is the sixth edition. We’ve been moving it from one state to another. We started with Oyo State, we did two here, and we’re back here. Who knows? It could be Ondo next, it could be Osun,” he added.

Adebiyi, who serves as a consultant to the Oyo State Squash Association, also praised ongoing investment in facilities, noting that the current association has spent over twenty something million on the Adamasingba squash court.

He credited association chairman Mr. Adewale Salako for the progress.

The tournament was solely sponsored by the Adekunle Adebiyi Sports Foundation, with prize money powered by Mr. Taylor Afolayan in support of grassroots sports development.

Adebiyi acknowledged his family in the United Kingdom, foundation members including Assistant Controller General Titi Olaya, Controller Ane Hudson, and his brother Gbenga Adebiyi, as well as diaspora support from Regina and Segun Ogunjimi of Ireland.

The President of the Nigeria Squash Federation, Sunday Wilson Egberipou, was also in attendance.

Badminton Results

The men’s final produced an all-Ogun State derby as Adenekan Samuel defeated Abayomi Samuel 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) to clinch the title.
In the women’s final, Odunayo Omotayo of Ogun State dominated Babatunde Dolapo of Ondo State 2-0 (21-11, 21-18).

Squash Results

The squash courts delivered five-set thrillers:
U-15 Girls Esther Bob beat Elizabeth Adebayo 3-0 (11-3, 15-13, 12-10)
U-15 Boys: Miracle Ekpo edged Daniel Awe 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6).

In the U-19 Girls: Zainab Ishola defeated Elizabeth Adebayo 3-1 (7-11, 11-3, 11-2, 12-10)
U-19 Boys: Elisha Daniel overcame Nanme Rindap 3-2 (11-5, 3-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6)

Prizes and Rewards
In Squash, a total of N100,000 was shared equally among winners in the U-19 and U-15 Boys and Girls categories. Each winner also received a new racket and racket bag. Runners-up got N40,000 for U-19 and another N40,000 for U-15.

In Badminton and Tennis, winners went home with two new rackets, racket bags and awards, while runners-up received one new racket, a racket bag and an award.

Raffle Draw Highlight

To add excitement, organizers introduced a raffle draw. U-15 player Thomas Emmanuel won the star prize of a laptop. Other winners received AirPods, power banks, handbags and cash prizes.

Dignitaries at the finals, including Mr. Taylor Afolayan and the NSF President, commended the organizers for sustaining the festival and promoting racket sports at the grassroots.

The 6th Mama Tunde Alaso Racket Festival closed with renewed calls for more private sector support to discover and nurture the next generation of Nigerian champions in Badminton, Squash and Tennis.