A former African table tennis Champion, Kasali Lasisi has charged the national team coaches to take advantage of the young players participating at the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival to re-build the national team.
Lasisi who is a former Coach of Congo DR gave the charge in Lagos in an interview with sportswriters.
He applauded the standard of the on-going 18th National Sports Festival saying it was shameful that Nigeria went to the Olympics and came back with no medal.
Lasisi also commended the National Sports Commission for making the 2014 National Sports Festival an open festival, explaining that it would reduce fraud, while the so called senior players would be put to task against the younger ones.
He stated that the first table tennis academy in Nigeria, Kasali Lasisi Table Tennis Academy would be launched in Ilorin, next year.
The former national table tennis coach and captain said the project would be used to discover new talents and set new standard for the sport in Nigeria.
Lasisi stated further that the project is being supported financially by the Kwara State government, even as he charged the National Sports Commission (NSC) to buy into the idea especially as Nigeria targets good outing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
He commended the Kwara state government, under the leadership of Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed for supporting the project.
Lasisi, it is recalled was the first Nigerian to win African men’s singles title, was unbeaten champion before he retired in 1981, to join coaching.