Chief Gbolahan Odele, sponsor of the ongoing Gbolahan Odele Junior Tennis Championship in Lagos, has revealed the true intention of the age grade competition.
The tournament which was first held at the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos, in 2023, has grown bigger in its second year, attracting over 100 kids from about ten States across the federation.
Players from Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Cross River, Bayelsa, FCT, Benue and Lagos States are currently battling for honors inside the magnificent Adejumo Tennis Complex in Ejigbo, Lagos, venue of the championship.
In a chat with Nigeria Tennis Live during the event, Chief Gbolahan Odele noted that he has been pleased with the level of dedication and passion shown by the youngsters at the competition.
He emphasized the importance of identifying young talents who can represent Nigeria on the global stage, and told our correspondent that he is beginning to note down some of these pristinely gifted tennis players.
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“The tournament is focused solely on which of these kids I can grab and sponsor, not just in tennis, but to push them forward in every aspect of their lives.
“Once I identify that child, I’ll sponsor that child all the way to the top. Even if the child gets to Wimbledon, I’ll follow them there. I want that one child that I can track, and that’s the whole essence of the tournament.
“It is not solely about identifying the talents, what then do we do after identifying these talents? Do we leave them to their fates or how exactly do they grow from there?” Chief Odele asked rhetorically.
When quizzed further about the talented players he has identified after five days of intense competition, he noted that there were three players who have been outstanding all week.
According to him: “I’ve seen Buhari (Godwin Afaramai), Mabubat and the boy with the mohawk hairstyle – Goodluck. These are players that we need to pay attention to because they’re still very young.
“The point of this tournament is to take one child that’s like my own, not just with tennis, but all the way around. God is helping me with what I want to do for that child, and the family as well, and that’s my immediate plan”.
Mr. Dele Badejo, former national tennis player and the Tournament Director of the competition, also corroborated Chief Gbolahan Odele and his intent for the event.
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“I’ve known the sponsor for about ten years, and we’ve been playing tennis together. I noticed that he’s a philanthropist. He comes home from the US and does a lot of philanthropic works outside of Lagos.
“About three years ago, after playing tennis, I told him that I usually organize age group tennis events and when he inquired further, and I told him that I had done it for about 11 years consistently.
“So, the following year when he came, he asked of the possibility of organizing a tournament for him and asked for the cost implication and I gave him an estimate with a projected date.
“I didn’t hear anything else from him for months (about four-five) but two weeks to the projected date, he called and said that he had reviewed the proposal and asked if we could start,” the tennis icon noted.
Mr. Badejo further explained how the first edition was put together and what Chief Odele’s plans are for the kids.
He said: “Last year’s event was put together in less than 10 days. He was not around but his sister was around on the day of the final.
“His quest for something bigger stemmed from the evidence of what he saw from the last event. We then agreed of inviting people from other states. The budget tripled and he did not hesitate to go with the plan.
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“We wanted to start with six states and planned to increase it as the years continue. So, we have six invited states who are being fed, accommodated and transported.
“Breakfast, lunch have also been provided to all the States’ players and their coaches. However, dinner is limited to the states we made provisions for.
“My focus is youth developmental program. I’ve, over the years, delivered on high quality tournaments, by the way I pay attention to the players. People know about Badejo Sports and what we are capable of doing.
“The sponsor also has the intention of identifying kids that can be sponsored and taken to the top as a result of this tournament and that is one of the key reasons for putting this event together.
“Obviously, I’m sure he is looking at a bigger picture for next year, even though we are yet to complete this year’s edition”.