NTTF mourns former national coach Obisanya

The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation has mourned former national coach Babatunde Obisanya, a pioneer of the sport who died on Tuesday, October 6, after a prolonged illness at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital at the age of 77.

Obisanya represented Nigeria as a player before he became national coach. In a statement, the federation’s President, Adesoji Tayo, called him a towering figure whose contributions advanced table tennis in Nigeria and across Africa.

“It is sad to hear of the passing of one of Nigeria’s longest-serving players and coaches, Babatunde Obisanya, whose immense contribution to the sport cannot be overstated,” Tayo said.

“Despite retiring in 2010, Coach Obisanya continued to offer valuable advice to the federation. He was always present at national competitions, lending his support and sharing his vast experience. He loved table tennis passionately and never hesitated to voice his concerns whenever he felt something was wrong. He was also a father figure to many players, and he will be greatly missed by the entire table tennis family in Nigeria and Africa.”

Obisanya made history in 1968 when he became the first men’s singles champion of the now-defunct Asoju Oba Cup. The competition was sponsored by the late Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas and began as a Lagos event, with 20 men and 12 women in the first edition. In 1976, Obisanya shared the Nigeria Sportsman of The Year award with athletics star Modupe Osikoya, after years of success at home and abroad.

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He played for Nigeria at the African Games, the African Championships and the World Championships, and was one of the country’s most prominent international players in the 1970s. The federation said that during the “Ping Pong Diplomacy” era in 1975, he and Lateef Sunmola reached the finals of a major tournament, as the only non-Asian pair to do so at that level.

After retiring as a player, Obisanya was head coach of the national team from 1976 to 2010, and in that time he mentored some of Africa’s finest players, including Nigerian legend Segun Toriola.

He remained active in sports administration after leaving the post, and chaired the Adegboyega Efunkoya National U-15 Table Tennis Championship, where he pushed for education to be combined with youth sports development.

He was also known as an outspoken critic of what he saw as the neglect of table tennis and other sports in favour of football.