For the 2023 World English Scrabble Players Association Championship (WESPAC), a total of 22 Scrabble players and five officials from Nigeria have arrived in the country. It will take place at Westgate, Las Vegas Resorts & Casino, from July 22 to July 26.
The national team, which flew on Turkish Airlines, arrived early for the World tournament so that they would have ample time to acclimatise to the local weather, according to the Nigeria Scrabble Federation.
Before the team left, NSF President Toke Aka told Nigerians in an interview with The Guardian that the team will make all effort to return with the World Scrabble trophy.
The objective of Team Nigeria in the WESPAC is to keep its title as the top Scrabble-playing nation. The team is leaving early for the U.S. in order to reduce player jet fatigue and because several of our players will compete in other Scrabble competitions before the primary World Championship starts on July 22.
The American National Championship, scheduled for July 15–17, is one of these competitions, he stated.
The series of Championships held before to the WESPAC would offer Nigerian players the time to get ready for the major event, he continued. The competition will feature players from over 30 different nations, but given that Nigerian Scrabble players now hold the top spot, I am confident that our players would do admirably in the WESPAC.
NSF is still petitioning with the American embassy to get Oluwatimilehin Doko, one of our key players, a visa. He will join the squad in the United States if he ultimately receives the American visa prior to the start of the big competition.
All hands are on deck, according to Prince Anthony Ikolo, coach of the National Scrabble team, to guarantee that Nigeria wins the WESPAC championship this year.
“As the World English Scrabble Players Association Championship (WESPAC) defending Champions, our goal is to defy all odds and keep the World Scrabble championship. Our athletes have recently triumphed in a number of domestic and international tournaments, and I am confident that Nigeria will perform well in the United States.
“Team Nigeria has worked hard to prepare for the World Tournament, and we did our best to get the best players for the championship,” he said. “After series of high level competitions and screening among the top scrabble players in Nigeria,” he said.