The Nigerian team which will take part in the 3rd ITF/CAT West and Central African Junior Teams’ competition for 12 & Under will begin full preparation for the event this week.
The tournament, which is a qualifying event for the African Junior Finals for 12 & Under, will take place in Cotonou, Benin Republic from 6 – 10 March. As it was in 2017 and 2018, the African Junior Finals will be held in Morocco for a third straight year in September.
Based on the rules & regulations of this competition, the West & Central African region will qualify only one team in the boys’ category and two teams in the girls’ category.
Alongside Nigeria, teams expected to participate are Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, and of course, host nation, Benin.
Last year, the Nigerian team comprised Michael Nekekpemi, Joshua Maxwell and Emannuel Ameh for the boys, while Serena Teluwo, Iye Onoja, and Basirat Okunolu led the charge for glory in the girls’ team.
The boys finished 2nd, qualifying as 1 of the 2 teams, behind Ghana, but the girls finished third and missed out on qualification.
Ghana and Nigeria qualified for the boys finals last year, while the Beninese team qualified for the girls.
The Nigerian team will camp in Lagos, where they will undergo training before they depart for Cotonou on the 5th of March. The players—3 boys and 3 girls—and the coach will be announced on Friday.
