NNPC Junior Tennis Circuit Gets International Supp

The NNPC Junior Tennis Circuit which has run for two years featuring competitions in boys and girls 10, 12, 14 & 16 age groups has caught the attention of France-based leading tennis equipment manufacturer, Babolat.

According to the director of the International Tennis Academy, Godwin Kienka, the Officer of the company in charge of the African continent, Marie-Pierre Caizergues says Babolat will like to identify with such a project with exciting prospects and potential especially now that the company is looking to develop the African market.

Dadolat is used by two of the top three men on th ATP tour Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick and the women's champion Kim Clysters. Caizergues was quoted as saying, I have gone through the details of the tennis tournaments and the pictures and the ranking, it all appears very exciting and if you all follow-through there is good potential to produce good players.

Babolat will like to support the program in the future possibly in 2007 as we are already fully committed this year. We may be able to give the winners of the Masters Tournament racquet sponsorship for one year and if I get enough notice, and can fit it into my schedule, I would be happy to attend the tournament to assess the standard and see how things are going.

Mr Kienka said he was very happy with the development. I am very happy for the kids because they have been working so hard and for the sponsors, the NNPC, because this goes to assure them that they are supporting a worthy cause. The efforts of the Nigeria Tennis Federation along with such support programs like the Chevron Junior tennis training and competition program run by Chris Enahoro and the NNPC Junior Circuit have helped to move up the country's junior ranking in the sub region from 5th to 2nd this year. Hopefully by the end of the year we should be No. 1. Kienka said.

Adding, I am optimistic that in the future the Circuit will attract more and more international support by way of training and travel grants to tennis academies abroad, college scholarships to schools abroad and grants to compete in professional tournaments when the kids mature to that level. We just have to keep our focus and work hard to raise further the standard of the competition and the facilities.

The NNPC Junior Circuit has a top 10 ranking of boys and girls 10, 12, 14 and 16 with a N100, 000 scholarship award to any player who wins boys and girls 12, 14 and 16 on the first attempt and any player who wins his or her age group and a higher category in the same tournament. The 2005 year end ranking has the top three in each age category as follows:

Boys 16: 1. Chimezie Onyejiaka 400pts, Kalada Kienka 300pts, Sam Omoile 260pts;

Boys 14: Kalada Kienka 500 pts, Sam Omoile 480 pts, Michael Eludoyin 240 pts.

Boys 12: Ejike OKoro 360 pts, Christian Paul 280 pts, Tamina Kienka 230 pts.

Boys 10: Tamina Kienka 560 pts, Chibuzor Nweje 400 pts, Ikenna Okoro 360 pts.

Girls 16: Lolia Kienka 420 pts, Nneka Okoro 400 pts, Chika Okoro 400 pts.

Girls 14: Chika Okoro 580 pts, Lolia Kienka 500 pts, Biola Akewula 220 pts.

Girls 12: Hadazah Benson 340 pts, Kelechi Njoku 160pts, Elshama Benson 120pts.

Girls 10: Elshama Benson 300 pts, Alexandra Omoboya 80 pts, Deborah Kwange 80 pts.