Women’s Tennis: LIS announces ₦4 million prize for inaugural invitational

LIS set for historic event in Lagos Credit: LIS X Page LIS set for historic event in Lagos

Ladies in Sports International (LIS) has announced plans to stage a women’s tennis invitational tournament offering an historic ₦4 million winner’s prize, which the organisation describes as the highest for a domestic women’s tennis competition in Nigeria.

The inaugural tournament is scheduled to hold from 14 to 16 December 2026 at Lagos Country Club, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, with the country’s top eight ranked female players expected to compete.

According to LIS, the competition is designed to improve earning opportunities for female athletes, promote excellence in tennis and encourage greater private-sector investment in women’s sports.

The initiative also seeks to demonstrate the commercial potential of women’s sports and create opportunities for corporate organisations to support the development of professionally organised sporting competitions in Nigeria.

The ₦4 million winner’s prize represents a significant financial incentive for participants, particularly in a sporting environment where domestic competitions often offer limited financial rewards.

LIS said the tournament would provide a platform to raise awareness of the need for better funding of elite women’s competitions and to create a more sustainable professional environment for female athletes.

Speaking on the motivation behind the initiative, the organisation’s founder, Tega Onojaife, said Nigeria had considerable sporting talent but needed to provide athletes with the financial and structural support required to build sustainable careers.

“We have extraordinary sporting talent in Nigeria, but talent alone is not enough to build a successful professional career. Athletes need quality competitions, adequate prize money, consistent sponsorship and an environment that allows them to earn a living from their sport,” she said.

Ms Onojaife said the development of professional sports should not depend solely on individuals’ commitment and personal sacrifice but should also attract meaningful investment from corporate organisations.

“Elite sports tournaments cannot depend indefinitely on the passion and personal sacrifice of a few individuals. They need serious investment from private-sector organisations that understand the value of sport as a business, a platform for brand development and a tool for social impact,” she added.

She also highlighted the need to create an environment in which Nigerian athletes could pursue professional careers without leaving the country in search of better opportunities.

“We must get to a point where a professional tennis player living and training in Nigeria can compete at a high level, earn meaningful income and see a future in the sport without feeling compelled to leave the country simply to access better opportunities,” Ms Onojaife said.

LIS said the long-term development of women’s sports would require stronger partnerships between athletes, sports administrators, sponsors and private-sector organisations.

It called on companies in the banking, telecommunications, energy, consumer goods, technology, and financial services sectors to support initiatives to improve the professional sporting environment for women.

According to the organisation, sustained corporate investment could help improve tournament organisation, increase prize money, strengthen athlete welfare, expand media coverage and provide Nigerian players with more opportunities to compete at higher levels.

It also urged companies to move beyond one-off sponsorship arrangements towards long-term partnerships that would support the growth of competitions and provide athletes with more sustainable income opportunities.

The organisation said the Women Tennis Invitational was conceived to demonstrate how deliberate investment, professional organisation and athlete development could contribute to the growth of women’s tennis in Nigeria.

The three-day competition is expected to bring together eight of the country’s leading female players, with the ₦4 million winner’s prize serving as its major financial attraction.

LIS said it hoped the inaugural edition would encourage more organisations to invest in women’s tennis and help create a stronger foundation for the next generation of female players.