The Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) has allotted the hosting of the ITF/CAT U-12 West and Central Africa Junior Championship to Nigeria.
The tournament, expected to feature no fewer than 12 countries, would hold in Lagos from April 25 to 30.
Nigeria Tennis Federation President, Sani Ndanusa, who disclosed this over the weekend, said the CAT gave Nigeria the right to host the championship, despite the interest shown by five other West African countries, due to Nigeria’s impressive developmental programmes, which aided her impressive showings in junior tennis classics in recent years.
“CAT, in its letter to us regarding the hosting, expressed satisfaction with the substantial progress that Nigeria has made in recent years, particularly, in junior tennis. They acknowledged our junior programmes as one of the best in the CAT Zone 2 and are convinced that the hosting of the tournament would further aid in the growth of tennis in the country,” Ndanusa said.
Ndanusa promised that Nigeria would justify the confidence placed in her by the governing body of the sport in Africa by hosting a hitch-free and memorable championship.
This is the first time that the U-12 Championships will be running as a tournament on its own, as it used to be played alongside the U-16 and U-14 championships.
Nigeria has emerged as the leading nation in the 15-country CAT Zone 2, winning the zonal tournament in the last six years.
