Surulere, Lagos state – Top Nigerian squash players will participate in the maiden edition of the John Hett Sports Foundation (JHSF) tournament that is to be held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, from Wednesday, October 25 to Saturday, October 28, 2023.
TOP MEDIA reports that according to the entry list of the closed satellite event, Onaopemipo Adegoke, Kehinde Samuel, Rofiat Abdulazeez, and Isaac Blessing are among the 180 local players who have registered their interest to compete in the championship.
Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference in Lagos on Monday, October 23, Wasiu Bello, the Tournament Director envisages a standout competition.
He says:
“We are trying to create something different in squash in the country. In the end, we want to take the lead by getting our athletes ready for the LA Olympics following the wonderful news last week.”
Bello adds that one of the reasons for coming up with the initiative is to get Nigeria’s top five players in the men’s and women’s categories to the Professional Squash Association (PSA) top 50.
Meanwhile, the overall winner of the tournament accrues 30 ranking points, runner-up 19.5, and semifinalists 12 points.
It is noteworthy that the JHSF’s squash tournament is the highest cash prize PSA closed satelite tournament in Nigeria. The champion goes home with N400,000 and athletes who reach the round of 32 are entitled to a share of the prize pool.
Onaopemipo Expresses Readiness for JHSF Tournament
World No.185, Onaopemipo, has been telling the media about his readiness for the championship.
The 24-year-old who won the Namibian Open in September states that the tournament is a decent platform for the new generation of squash players in the country to show what they can do.
He says:
“I am ready and focused. I believe there is no small opponent and everyone wants to win.
“It is a fairly big platform to exhibit the quality we have in our respective clubs and states.”
