One of Nigeria’s top tennis officials, Rose Onoja Abu, has spoken glowingly about her outing at the Paralympics after returning from Paris, France.
The Acting Chairman of Nigeria Tennis Umpires Association (NTUA) recently officiated at the French Open, one of the biggest tennis events in the world.
However, she has admitted that officiating at the Paralympics for the first time ever leaves a very different feeling with her.
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The Ambassador of Advantage All Nigeria spoke with Nigeria Tennis Live on her return from France, she said: “Yes, this is my first Paralympics and my first time experiencing something like this, it was an honor for me to be at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
“The Olympics and Paralympics are the dream of all officials, and it was a big pride and honor for me to have the privilege to participate in the most prestigious sporting event of all time. I am thankful to God for everything.
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“Being selected is a very big honor and something I hold so dear to my heart. The experience is amazing, and having the opportunity to work with top officials from other countries, sharing so much experience together and learning new things from top officials, being able to be at my best at all times gave me different feelings of fulfillment.
“I am so happy and proud to be at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
When asked why she was so excited about the Paralympics after being to Grand Slam events as a tennis official, the former tennis player said: “the difference is, this is Paralympics (laughs)! It is the biggest international sports event in the world.
“I have been to big events, but the Paralympics experience is totally different and amazing. It is prestigious and precious, its totally different from other events I have worked at.
“I was there as a Nigerian Line Umpire and I know that I represented my nation very well. It is a thing of pride for me. Every process of getting there was entirely different from other events I have been to.
“In total I think we were 6 from Africa, am not too sure, but you can see what that means, to be among this number means the world to me, and I am very happy and proud to be part of the Paris 2024”.
Nigeria could not produce a player to participate in tennis at the Paralympics, however, the Nigerian contingent to the Games produced a total of seven medals.