The Delta Teqball Tour which started with the arrival of athletes and officials on the 10th of May which ended on 13th May 2023; has been adjudged successful by athletes, officials, and even notable dignitaries who witness the event at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, Delta State.
The 3-Day event saw athletes compete for medals in 5 categories namely; Men’s Doubles, Men’s Single, Women’s Doubles, Women’s Singles and Mix Doubles events.
The tour afforded athletes the opportunity to displayed their skills, stamina and showmanship, which brought excitement and entertainment to all who were live at the venue.
Day 1 of the Championship witness the preliminaries of the Men’s Single and Women’s Singles categories while preliminaries of the Men’s and Women’s Doubles were on Day 2 of the Championship. All Knockout, Quarter and Semi Final rounds of both the Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Singles event was concluded on the day.
Day 3 saw athletes for the Mix Doubles events grace the stage, with all preliminaries, Quarters, and Semi-Finals concluded during the morning sessions. The Bronze medal and finals of all categories was done on the afternoon of Day 3.
Winners who emerged from the highly competitive and entertaining finals include the FITEQ World No. 34 and Nigeria’s No.1 in the Singles Events Victor Oyemade of Kwara State, clinching the gold medal in the Men’s Single and also gold medal alongside his Men’s Doubles partner Funsho Funto Samson in the Men’s Doubles category.
Other gold medalists are Rasheedat Salau of Kwara State, winning the Women’s Singles gold and Mix Doubles gold medal along with her mix doubles partner, Funsho Funto Samson. Edo State duo of Success Eke and Gladys Abasi were gold medal winners in the Women’s Doubles category.
In all, the Kwara State contingent dominated the finals with their athletes making the podium in every category they competed in. Other States who made the podium are Edo, Delta and Enugu.
The performance of the athletes throughout the championship is a testament to the growth of Teqball in Nigeria. While the performance of states like Kwara, Edo, and Delta did not come as a surprise, States who made their debuts like Ogun, Abia, Niger, and Ondo gave a good account of themselves.
Former Super Eagles forward and Africa Footballer of the Year, Victor Ikpeba was full of praise for the organizers and NIGTEQ for a successful Championship, and in his words “Teqball has come to stay in Nigeria”
Indeed, it was an eventful Championship that will go a long way to project Teqball as an event that will bring medals and glory to the Nation in international Championships and the Olympics when it becomes a medal event.
While we also look forward to it becoming a medal event in the next National Sports Festival.
Medals Table
1. Men’s Singles
– Victor Oyemade Ademode (Kwara) – Gold
– Funsho Funto Samson (Kwara) – Silver
– Mejedi Tobi Olawumi (Kwara) – Bronze
2. Women Singles
– Salau Rashidat Bukola (Kwara) – Gold
– Success Eke (Edo) – Silver
– Akintunde Ololade (Delta) – Bronze
3. Men’s Doubles
– Victor Oyemade/Funsho Samson (Kwara) – Gold
– Yahyah Khalid/Mejedi Tobi (Kwara) – Silver
– Ihedioha McBlaise/Obosa Efosa (Edo) – Bronze
4. Women’s Doubles
– Salau Rashidat/Fareedah Opeyemi (Kwara) – Gold
– Abasi Gladys/Success Eke (Edo) – Silver
– Ifunanya Joy/Chisom Janefrancis (Enugu) – Bronze
5. Mixed Doubles
– Funsho Samson/Salau Rashidat (Kwara) – Gold
– Obosa Efosa/Abasi Gladys (Edo) – Silver
– Victor Oyemade/Fareedah Opeyemi (Kwara) – Bronze
