The Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament (EEAST) has gotten the support of continental governing body.
The Emmanuel Egbele Annual Scrabble Tournament (EEAST) has again had its high-quality status confirmed as the continental governing body, Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA) has certified it as a rated championship.
PANASA President Adekoyejo Adegbesan confirmed the seal of approval on Saturday after acknowledging the premium contribution of the EEAST to scrabble development and promotion in Africa.
Aside from the seal of approval, the body also offered to waive the rating fees, which according to the President, was a way of supporting a well-put-together event like the EEAST.
"We can rate and waive the rating fee," said Adekoyejo who confirmed the development he then continued "We will support any organizer who throws us these sorts of well-packaged event anywhere on the continent."
Despite the seeming economic challenges, the organisers said they have resolved to make the fourth edition tagged 'the Fourth Dimension' a worthy one.
Convener Emmanuel Egbele while commending the PANASA said the tournament has developed into a critical platform for achieving success.
"The EEAST has been very instrumental. EEAST is one of the major championships in the calendar of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation annually. What we are trying to do is to ensure that players are in top form for states and for the country. Past players like Enoch Nwali and Godwin Victor who won our tournament have gone ahead to win African titles. So this edition is also an opportunity for players to prepare for state and other national championships and I can assure participants that everything is being put in place for another fantastic scrabble experience."
Meanwhile, more participants have confirmed their participation in this year's edition ahead of the June 4th registration deadline.
Intending players have been advised to go through the website https://eeastng.com/ and complete their registration to experience a world-class championship.
As part of the innovations for this edition, players' entries have been categorized into Lite (zero to 1299 rating), while those with ratings from 1300 and above will play in the Premier level.
The fourth edition of the EEAST will begin this Friday and come to a close on the final day on Saturday with an award ceremony at the prestigious Eko Hotel.