That Nigeria will not be part of the African team to the 2017 ITTF World Cadet Challenge is a worry to the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF).
Particularly with the display of 12-year-old Nigeria’s Taiwo Matti at the just concluded Egypt Junior Open, the President of ATTF, Khaled El-Salhy admitted that they team would have been strenghtened with the presence of the likes of Mati in the team.
Speaking before the departure of the eight-man African team to Fiji yesterday, the ATTF boss said: “We had also in Sharm El-Sheikh a new super star from Africa whom is Taiwo Mati of Nigeria who won two gold medals in Hopes Boys’ Singles & Cadet Boys’ Singles in his first ever participation in an International event outside Nigeria. Unfortunately he was not among Nigeria team in the previous ITTF-Africa Juniors & Cadet Championships that held in Tunisia (April 2017), otherwise he could be a super contribution to Africa Team in Fiji. I am sure he will be a main part of the team in the coming years,” El-Salhy said.
He however, expressed optimism in the African team heading to Fiji.
He said: “Africa Team had a quite combined planning for preparation in the last two weeks. There was an intensive practice camp in Cairo on October 5 to 10 with the Egyptian national U-21 team. The team also took part in the Egypt Junior and Cadet Open held in Sharm El-Sheikh on 10-15 October. Before their departure, they had a light practice schedule in Cairo on October 16 to 17,” he said.
The satisfied ATTF boss added: “I am so satisfied with the practice camp done in Cairo and so proud of the super presentation of Africa Team in Egypt Open last week, all players were so effective and they did their best to claim nine medals (3 gold + 3 silver + 3 bronze) in all events of team, doubles & singles.”
The African team is made of four boys and four girls and they are Fadwa Garci of Tunisia, Ibrahim Hana (Egypt), Taguercifi Houda Norhane (Algeria) and Naidoo Kiara (South Africa) made up the girls’ team while the boys’ team include AZZAM Mohamed (Egypt), BEN ATTIA Youssef (Tunisia), KIASSI Regis (Congo Brazzaville) and CHAICHI Abdelbasset (Algeria). The team will be managed by SOLIMAN Pacinthe Osman (Egypt) while the coaches are BEN KAHIA Ghazy (Tunisia) and BELKACI Ahmed (Algeria).