L-R: Representative of Ikoyi Club, Lady
Captain Tennis Section, Mrs. Chizuba Onuoha; Group Managing Director,
Rainoil, Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie; Executive Director, Rainoil, Mr.
Emmanuel Omuajine and Representaive of Stabic IBTC, Mrs. Omotola
Egbedeyi, during the Press Conference on the forth coming Rainoil
Tennis Open in Lagos.
Plans are in top gear for the 2022 edition of the Rainoil Tennis Open, which kicks off on Monday, 12th December 2022 at Ikoyi Club 1938 in Lagos and it is themed “Level Up Your Game”. The seven-day tournament is co-sponsored by Stanbic IBTC Bank and will feature 144 players. It promises to be bigger and better than ever.
Addressing journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, the Group Managing Director of Rainoil Limited, Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie OON, said Rainoil Limited, in partnership with Stanbic IBTC, is making this year’s edition of the tournament the biggest ever by increasing the prize money to N1,500,000 and N1,000,000 for male and female winners, respectively.
According to Dr. Ogbechie, Rainoil Limited has been sponsoring tennis for more than twelve years in Nigeria. He said tennis is a sport that can take our young boys and girls not just out of poverty but into prosperity. In his words, “The top tennis players in the world are young boys and girls in their teenage years, and they are making very big waves all around the world.” To this end, Rainoil Limited is deliberate about giving the young ones opportunities to play tennis, and the total prize money for this year’s edition has been increased to N13 million naira.
Dr. Ogbechie said Rainoil Limited is actively looking for opportunities to support any young person whose tennis career looks promising, as this will further strengthen tennis in Nigeria. He believes that the Nigeria Tennis Federation must invest heavily in tennis and attract more corporate sponsors in order to provide more opportunities for young people to shine. He added that the annual tournament is one of many ways Rainoil Limited is contributing to the society and expressed hope that the tournament will produce the world’s best tennis player in the near future.
The Players Representative of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Mr. Sunday Essien, said the 2022 Rainoil Tennis Open will have 64 players play the men’s singles, 32 players in the women’s singles, 32 players play in the men’s doubles, and 16 players in the women’s doubles. He commended Rainoil for its unwavering support for the game of tennis and urged more corporate organizations to emulate Rainoil Limited.
Lady Captain of the Tennis section at Ikoyi Club 1938, Mrs. Chizoba Onuoha, expressed gratitude to Rainoil Limited for bringing the tournament to Ikoyi Club 1938. According to her, the club is proud to be hosting the tournament and is encouraging the youth to grab the opportunities being offered by the tournament.
