Okunola, Ayodeji emerge winners of 2024 Ibadan Week competitions
Ajewole said that the competitions were organised to engage the youth in table tennis and ayo olopon, a traditional game.
Omotola Okunola emerged on Tuesday as the winner in the table tennis category in the competitions organised by the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII).
Supreme News reports that Babajide Ayodeji also came in first in the Ayo Olopon category in the competitions, as part of the activities marking the 2024 edition of Ibadan Week.
Speaking at the competitions, held at Ibadan House, Oke Are, the CCII President-General, Niyi Ajewole, thanked all the participants for their sportsmanship and lauded the winners in both events.
Ajewole said that the competitions were organised to engage the youth in table tennis and ayo olopon, a traditional game.
“All the participants are winners; the competition is not about who wins or who loses, but about participation and encouraging the youth not to stop,” he said.
The CCII president commended a table tennis legend, Waidi Ekun, for ruling the world in his hey-days, thanking God that Oyo State was blessed with someone like him.
“I charge our participants to emulate what Waheed Ekun achieved in the game of sports and even aim to go beyond that and achieve more laurels in your different fields,” he said.
Supreme News reports that while Okunola went home with N100,000, Moruf Ogboriefon, who came in second, got N60,000.
Olufemi Opadere and Emmanuel Akintunde, who came third and fourth, went home with N40,000 and N20,000, respectively.
Similarly, Ayodeji, who came first in Ayo Olopon, received N50,000, while Oladimeji Oyewole got N30,000 for coming second.
Ismail Lebe and Adeoye Asimiyu came in third and fourth, with awards of N25,000 and N15,000, respectively.
Okunola, in his response, thanked the organisers of the competition and expressed happiness for emerging as the winner.
He promised to engage more in the game by sharing and impacting the knowledge of the younger ones.
Supreme News recalls that Waheed Ekun, an Ibadan indigene, won the National Sports Festival Table Tennis Championship by defeating Sunday Eboh in the final at the age of 17.