Lagos happy to host the world as Lagos Squash Classics begins

The Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku, revealed that they are happy to host the world after COVID altered the event for five years.

Pulse Sports reports that after five years, the Lagos Squash Classics kicked off in Lagos, with 19 Nigerian players and players from 14 other countries competing at Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Players will compete for the $12,000 prize money in the competition.

Aiyepeku told PULSE SPORTS that the competition will boost Nigerian players' standings, particularly in Africa, and provide them the opportunity to compete in bigger events alongside the younger players.

He said, "I'm very relieved. I'm very happy that one of our mainstays in Lagos State sports is back. As you know, Lagos has dedicated substantial investment to making sure the classics happen among the four classics. And even this year, we have a bigger revenue, and budget for it.

"So we are very happy, as you can see, behind me, that apart from the development of the squash courts, we also have this for the competition, which is an international standard.

"So we are very happy and relieved that the competition is back, and it will help the rankings of our players, especially in Africa, and qualify them to play in bigger tournaments as well as the younger ones."

Pulse Sports reports that Babatunde Ajagbe is seeded for the tourney alongside Curtis Malik (England), Ziad Ibrahim (Egypt), Laszlo Godde (France), Perry Mailk (England), Mazen Gamal (Egypt), Laouenan Loaec (France) and Martin Svec (Czech).