Lawn tennis court
The maiden edition of the Oba Olateru Olagbegi lawn tennis championship is scheduled to take place in Ibadan, Oyo state.
The championship will be held on April 26 at the Ibadan Recreation Club.
The tournament is being organised in honour of the late Olagbegi II, a first republic monarch, former minister, and “passionate” sportsman from Owo, Ondo state.
The competition aims to celebrate the sporting legacy of the late king who was a tennis and billiards enthusiast.
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According to a statement signed by his son Adegoke Olateru-Olagbegi, the tournament seeks to immortalise his father’s memory and promote tennis among young talents in southwest Nigeria.
“I have always dreamed of something that will immortalize my father, that will keep his name reverberating forever, hence the beginning of Sir Olateru Olagbegi KBE tennis championships,” he said.
The event will feature men’s singles and doubles categories, with participation from 20 clubs competing for prizes ranging from N100,000 to N200,000.
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Sports enthusiasts, dignitaries, and tennis lovers from across Nigeria are expected to attend.
Olagbegi was deposed on February 16, 1968, by the colonel Adekunle Fajuyi military government.
He spent his banishment period in Ibadan before re-ascending the throne in 1993.
During the exile years in Ibadan, the monarch spent his time playing lawn tennis and billiards to keep his spirits up.
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Olagbegi also partnered the late M.C. Nwanbuno to win the national veterans double tennis championship in 1969.
