The Puma Engineering Wheelchair Tennis Championships, according to Sani Ndanusa, president of the Nigeria Wheelchair Tennis Federation, are here to stay in Nigeria.
He stated that Puma Engineering Wheelchair Tennis is a continental championship that will be held on a regular basis to keep players in shape before major international tournaments.
Puma International, he claims, is a point earner from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
“This competition will bring players close to qualifying for the Paralympics, which is why we decided to hold the tournament in Nigeria.”
“We’re trying to encourage and support them to keep playing, and I’m glad we’re able to do the third edition of the Puma Wheelchair Tournament,” he explained.
He stated that he is pleased that the sport is becoming more popular and that the quality and standard are improving year after year.
“Wheelchair puma tennis is here to stay because of the value it adds to the sport not only in Nigeria, but also in Africa and around the world,” he said.
He went on to say that one of the major factors slowing the sport’s development is sponsorship.
“Another issue is sponsorship, which is critical. Major tournaments cannot be attended unless you are sponsored.
“So we’ll look into how we can provide some grants, such as transportation and training grants,” he said.
According to him, about five countries participated in the previous edition: Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.
“Only Kenya and Nigeria are participating in the third edition because most countries are still recovering from COVID-19, which has affected country participation.”
“I believe that more countries will participate in the next edition.” We will continue to work hard. “We will continue to support the players in this edition,” he said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the third edition of the PUMA Engineering Wheelchair Tennis Championships, which began on Thursday, is set to conclude on Saturday.