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Tag: ITTF

  • Nigeria, 29 others confirm for 2024  ITTF World Team Championships

    Nigeria, 29 others confirm for 2024  ITTF World Team Championships

    After missing the team event qualification for Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Nigeria will be making another attempt to be listed among the participating teams in Paris with the country’s  confirmation  as one of the 30 qualified teams for ITTF World Team Championships Busan 2024 in South Korea.

    For finishing among the top four teams at the 2023 ITTF Africa Championships held in Tunisia, Nigeria will join African champions Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria as the continent’s flagbearers at the world tournament in South Korea  as quarterfinalists from the competition will join  other continental champions in Paris.

    The stage was set during the Continental Championships events held in September, marking the beginning of this exciting journey and so far, 30 teams have successfully secured their spots, showcasing the vibrant diversity and fierce competition within the sport in Busan.

    From Africa, champions Egypt will present men and women teams while Nigeria, Algeria and Tunisia will also assemble their teams for the tournament which gives teams the chance to pick Olympic Games tickets.

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    The four teams that progressed to the ITTF Pan American Championships 2023 semi-finals have earned their qualifications. In the men, Brazil leads the continent while others are Canada, Chile, and Puerto Rico. The women are from the USA, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Chile.

    China tops the list of 10 teams from Asia. Others are Chinese Taipei, Korea Republic, India, Japan, Iran, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, and Thailand for men while China also top the list in the women, while others are Korea Republic, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Uzbekistan.

    The eight quarter-finalists from the European Team Championships 2023 have earned automatic qualifications for the men’s event  as champion Sweden leads others like Germany, Portugal, France, Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, and Belgium.

    Germany tops the list in women while others are Romania, France, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Italy, and Spain.

    The two finalist teams from the ITTF-Oceania Senior Championships have successfully secured their qualifications and they are Australia and New Zealand in men and women.

    40 teams are expected to compete at the prestigious ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan 2024.

  • ITTF African Para Championships: Ogunkunle savours victory against Egyptian idol

    ITTF African Para Championships: Ogunkunle savours victory against Egyptian idol

    Sameh Eid-Saleh has been dominated class four of the men’s singles for more than 15 years, and he had featured in five Paralympic Games with a bronze medal at London 2012 but his reign came to an end at the 2023 ITTF African Para Championships after he was beaten by one of his protégés – Isau Ogunkunle of Nigeria in the final match.

    However, Ogunkunle who has been idolising the Egyptians for years celebrated wildly after his triumph describing it as a reward for years of toiling on table.

     “I really prepared for the match very well because I had expected that I would meet my idol in the final match to decide who qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Before the match, I had dreamt about Paris and to ensure the dream became a reality, I worked hard in training and fortunately one of Nigeria’s most experienced players, Nasiru Sule coached me during the match, so it was a bit easy for me to beat him,” he said.

    Read Also: Nigeria wins 2023 ITTF African Para Championships

    The 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist added: “Eid-Saleh has been an inspiration to me having watched him play for years and when I first met him, he tutored me and I was not too disappointed when I lose to him but the painful one was beating him in team event in 2019 and later losing narrowly to him in the singles to mix the first opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020 until I was able to make it through my world ranking. So, my celebration after the victory was understandable to me and those around me.”

    The National Sports Festival champion said he will be heading to his second appearance at the Paralympic Games with the hope of making it to the podium in France.

  • ITTF Africa Para Championships: Nigeria may edge  Egypt to more Paralympics tickets

    ITTF Africa Para Championships: Nigeria may edge  Egypt to more Paralympics tickets

    From the available  14 Paralympic Games tickets at the ongoing ITTF Africa Para Championships, Nigeria is on the verge of beating host – Egypt to the highest number following the outcome of day one at the three-day qualifying tournament  in Giza, Egypt.

    In class nine and 10 of the women’s singles, Kehinde Lawal and Faith Obazuaye are just one match away from picking their tickets after beating all their opponents in the group matches of the tournament.

    In Class nine, Lawal has three Egyptians to contend with in the class and she had defeated two of them remaining Nagwa Youssef whom she will face today to determine the sole qualifiers from the class

    Obazuaye, 2022 Commonwealth Games medallist may be heading  for her second Paralympic Games after beating all her opponents in class 10 as she needs another convincing win against Egypt’s Reda Abdelaal to be certain of joining the train to Paris in 2024.

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    In the men’s singles, the top seeds have been unbeaten in all their matches, and they are all in pole position to pick their tickets but the battle for the sole ticket will be fierce in some classes as brothers may go up against each other in the deciding matches of the championships.

    All eyes will be on class four where seven-time African champion Samed Eid-Saleh of Egypt battles for the sole slot against Commonwealth Games medallist Isau Ogunkunle of Nigeria.

    Team Nigeria captain Tajudeen Agunbiade might face his compatriot Abiola Adesope in the decider in his quest to make a return to the Paralympic Games in class nine.

    Olufemi Alabi played with a lot of confidence in Class 10 as he remains the player to beat in the class having played all his group matches with ease to advance to the deciding stage of the tournament.

  • ITTF Africa Para Championships: Nigeria battle Egypt, seven others for Paralympics tickets

    ITTF Africa Para Championships: Nigeria battle Egypt, seven others for Paralympics tickets

    Para table tennis heavyweights in Africa-Nigeria and Egypt- will slug it out with seven other nations for spots at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in France as the 2023 African Para Table Tennis Championships kicked off yesterday at the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Giza.

    Apart from hosts – Egypt and Nigeria, the other participating countries are Algeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius and Tunisia.

    From the previous qualifiers coupled with performance from the last edition of the African championships, Egypt and Nigeria are the dominant teams in the continent with the likes of Algeria and South Africa sure to give them a run for their money.

    Read Also: Aruna jumps  to 16th  in latest ITTF Ranking

    At the Paralympic Games, Egypt and Nigeria have also been representing Africa with both countries having a handful of medals to show for their participation at the Games.

    As such, all eyes will be on stars like Isau Ogunkunle of Nigeria, Egyptian veteran Mohamed Sameh Eid Saleh, Algeria’s Karim Boumedouha as well as South Africa’s Theo Cogill. Nigeria’s quest in the women’s division will be led by Commonwealth Games medallists – Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi and Faith Obazuaye.

    Five-time African champion Saleh believes he is destined to make it to the sixth Paralympic Games but admitted that Nigeria’s Ogunkunle remains his only stumbling block in class four of the Men’s Singles.

    “I hope that I can make it to the sixth Paralympic Games, but I know it is going to be difficult especially with the presence of Ogunkunle who is my arch-rival in the event. I hope that by God’s grace I triumph,” he told NationSport.

    Winners from each class will automatically qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. However, such athletes are expected to attend some ranking tournaments to be certain of being listed for the Paralympic Games.

  • 26th ITTF African Championships:  Bright start for heavyweights in Tunis

    26th ITTF African Championships:  Bright start for heavyweights in Tunis

    Table tennis heavyweights in Africa – Nigeria, Egypt and Tunisia were not threatened by their opponents in their group matches at the ongoing 26th  ITTF African Championships taking place in Tunis, Tunisia.

    The tournament which has 16 men’s teams and 13 women’s teams are competing for the continent’s sole slot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as well as the five slots at stake for Africa at the 2024 World Championships in Busan, South Korea.

    Listed as number one seed in the men, Egypt wasted no time in dismissing Togo 3-0 while Nigeria had a walk-over over Kenya.

    Tunisia as host were tested by Libya but they escaped with a 3-1 win. Algeria also had a smooth ride in their first match with a convincing 3-0 win over Ethiopia.

    In the women’s matches, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia were on the driving seat in their group with 3-0 win over their opponents to be in vantage position for the quarter final stage.

    Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Mission, Nigerian Embassy in Tunisia Falusi Oladapo was a surprise visitor to the camp of Team Nigeria in Tunis yesterday.

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    The envoy was received by ITTF Vice President, Wahid Oshodi in company of the Secretary General of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) Dayo Abulude at the Rades Sports Complex in Tunis.

    The team led by Quadri Aruna and Offiong Edem as well as others met with the envoy who charged the team to go all out in picking the sole ticket for the 2024 Olympic Games.

     “We are happy that you are here to represent your country and we at the mission here are glad to have you around. We hope that you can win the tournament but our charge to you is to give your best and hope your best will be enough to win the tournament for you. We are proud of you and on behalf of the Ambassador we hope you have a good stay in Tunisia for the tournament,” Oladapo said.

    Responding on the behalf of NTTF, Abulude lauded the envoy for the visit adding that this would motivate the players to do well. “We are excited with this visit as we never expected it and we are hoping that this kind of visit would inspire and motivate players for this important tournament,” he added.

    The envoy promised to host the team with the Ambassador during their stay in Tunis.

  • 26th ITTF African Championships: Nigeria, Egypt battle others for Olympics, WC tickets

    26th ITTF African Championships: Nigeria, Egypt battle others for Olympics, WC tickets

    Africa’s table tennis power houses – Nigeria and Egypt will slug it out other nations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and World Championships tickets at the 26th  ITTF African Championships which begin today to September 17 in Tunis.

    The 2023 African Table Tennis Championships serve as qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will provide men’s teams like Tunisia, Morocco, Zambia, Benin Republic, Libya, South Africa, Algeria and Cote d’Ivoire to contest to continental sole slot in the team event of Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.

    In the women’s event, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, Algeria, Mauritius, and Benin Republic will jostle for the slot.

    In the last two Olympic Games in Brazil and Japan, Nigeria and Egypt picked the continent’s tickets in the men’s event while Egypt has been dominating the women’s event to become the only Africa nation that has been featuring in the team event of the Olympic Games in the last three editions in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

    Also, the battle for the continent’s sole slot in the mixed doubles event will be contested by Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa as the winner in the event will represent Africa in France.

    According to the President of African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) Khaled El-Salhy, this year’s African Championships will also be used as qualification for the 2024 World Championships in Busan, Korea.

     “ATTF is ready for the coming African Championships as the major event in 2023, and this year it will be counted not only as qualification for 2024 WTTC in Busan – Korea but also a qualification for 2024 Paris Olympic Games (Team events & Mixed Doubles).

     “It is qualification for both 2024 WTTC & 2024 Paris Olympic Games (Teams/XD), but we have new challenges in our African Championship due to the emergence of new top players who showed their quality at the 2023 ITTF-Africa Cup in Kenya and African Youth Championships in Morocco.

    Read Also: Wahid Oshodi : ITTF putting more money into Africa

    “Players from Madagascar and Algeria are not going to be pushovers in Tunisia as they are professional players plying their trade in France and they decided to play for their native countries for the first time in African events this year with super results.

    “ I see there will be a big challenge for the traditional top teams like Egypt, Nigeria and Tunisia for the qualification events as well as dominating the podium in Tunis,” the ATTF boss said.

    The winners in the men and women team events will automatically secure their places at the Olympic Games in France while the winner in the mixed doubles event will be Paris-bound in 2024.

    El-Salhy however, said that the final continental qualifying tournament for Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place at the 2024 ITTF-Africa Cup in May, while the host city will be decided at the ATTF AGM in Tunis.

  • Africa still has chance to bid for World Championships, says ITTF

    After Morocco lose the bid to host the 2021 ITTF World Championships to United States, President of ITTF, Thomas Weikert believes can still bid in future for the biggest table tennis tournament in the world.

    Speaking at the press conference in Budapest yesterday, Weikert said this is the first time that the tournament would be hosted outside Asia and Europe since Egypt staged it in 1939 in Cairo while urging Africa not to lose hope of hosting the tournament again.

    Houston, US was selected ahead of Agadir, Morocco for the 2021 edition of the competition while Chengdu, China will stage the 2022 edition. Already, South Korea is putting finishing touches to the 2020 edition.

    The announcement of the new hosts was made known at the historic vote at the ITTF’s Annual General Meeting, held in Budapest, Hungary, where National Associations voted in favour of what will be two of the most eye-catching events that the sport of table tennis has ever known.

    It was a sky-high levels of excitement that surrounded the 2021 World Championships Finals, which will be held in Houston, USA: the very first time that table tennis’ greatest annual event will be staged in the land of stars and stripes. The decision ensures that this will be a totally unprecedented, historic event for more reason than one:

     

    Strong bids put forward by USA and Morocco ensured that 2021 would mark the first time in 82 years that the World Championships Finals are held outside of Asia and Europe, since Cairo, Egypt hosted the 1939 competition.

    The choice of USA opens up doors for the sport to enter an exciting, new market and confirms the very real globalisation of the game – one of the key goals behind the changes to the World Championships format approved last year in Halmstad, Sweden.

    The 2021 World Championships Finals will be the first edition under the expanded format to ensure maximum participation of ITTF member National Associations, adding further to the unprecedented global appeal of what is shaping up to be a simply incredible event.

    “I would like to thank all nations who bid to host our biggest annual event. It was fantastic to see so many high-level bids from a great range of countries.

    “We noticed raised interest in hosting the World Championships Finals, due to the expansion of the competition from 2021, which adds even more value and prestige.

    “The quality of the bids we received is fantastic news for table tennis globally and we now have two extraordinary World Championships Finals events lined up, which will capture the imagination of players and spectators, opening up the sport to an ever-expanding market.

    “I can’t wait for the build-up to both events now, albeit for the next week we are fully focused on making the best possible sports spectacle in Budapest,” said ITTF CEO, Steve Dainton.

     

  • Nigeria’s Matti for ITTF Training Camp in Thailand

    For his exceptional display coupled with his good conduct at the World Junior Circuit (WJC) and African Junior and Cadet Championships (AJCC) in Accra, Ghana, Nigeria’s Taiwo Matti has been invited to the High Performance Training Camp for U-15 and U-18 players across the world in Bangkok, Thailand on May 6 to 13.

     

    In a letter signed by ITTF High Performance & Development Operations Manager, Dora Jeler, Matti’s invitation was based on the recommendation of the High Performance Manager, Massimo Costantini, who was in Accra for the tournaments.

     

    “In our second round of invitations, ITTF High Performance & Development is pleased to invite Mati Taiwo (NGR) to our High Performance Training Camp for U15 & U18 players, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 6-13 May 2019. The camp will be held prior to and in preparation of the ITTF World Junior Circuit Thailand Junior & Cadet Open in Bangkok, so that players and coaches wishing to attend both the camp and the tournament will be able to connect the two,” Jeler said.

    Read also: 2019 ITTF: Nigeria dominate boys’ singles

     

    The training would be handled by top coaches including the High Performance Manager, Massimo Costantini, who is ITTF Coach of the Year.

     

    Matti was outstanding for Nigeria at the just concluded World Junior Circuit (WJC) and ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championship held in Accra, Ghana and he emerged as the cadet champion in the two events.

     

    He was also instrumental to Nigeria’s triumph over Egypt in the boys’ U-21 team event and their emergence as the new champion in the continent.

    The Ondo State-born star was one of the stars that ignited the tournaments in Ghana with his beautiful and outstanding display particularly against the highly-rated Egyptian players. 

  • 2019 ITTF: Nigeria dominate boys’ singles

    The years of reign of Egypt in the boys’ singles event came to an abrupt end at the weekend after Nigeria claimed the large portion of the gold medals at stake in the events at the just concluded ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championship held in Accra, Ghana.

    But the consolation for Egypt came in the U-21 boys singles as Mahmoud Helmy beat Nigeria’s Augustine Emmanuel 4-1 to the title.

    But the star attraction for Nigeria were Azeez Solanke and Taiwo Matti who claimed the gold medals in the junior and cadet singles of the competition at the expense of Egypt who have dominated the division for years.

    Solanke won both the junior boys’ singles title and partnering Jamiu Ayanwale to strike gold in the junior boys’ doubles.

    In both events played on the final day, Solanke ended Egyptian hopes. In the junior boys’ singles event, after having accounted for Abdelraham Dendan at the quarter-final stage, a contest in which the Egyptian had to eventually withdraw owing to injury (11-5, 10-12, 11-7, 11-6, ret), he beat Ahmed El-Borhamy (11-5, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8) and Marwan Abdelwahab (13-11, 4-11, 10-12, 11-5, 13-11, 11-6) to secure the title.

    Defeat for Marwan Abdelwahab who, in the later rounds, had ousted Nigeria’s Abayomi Animasahun (11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8) and Tunisia’s Aboubaker Bourass (11-8, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7), in the junior boys’ doubles final partnering colleague Gawad El-Herazy, it was also defeat. They suffered at the hands of Jamiu Ayanwale and Solanke (11-8, 11-7, 11-6).

    The top step of the podium for Ayanwale, in the cadet boys’ singles event, after accounting for Tunisia’s Habib Ameur (11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7), it was the second step. He was beaten in the final by compatriot Taiwo Mati (11-8, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8). Impressively, at the semi-final stage, Taiwo Mati had ousted Egypt’s Mohamed Sameh (11-6, 11-3, 11-5, 11-4).

    Success for Solanke and Mati on the concluding day of play and it was more success; earlier both had been members of the successful U-21 men’s team, in addition Solanke had secured the top prize in the junior boys’ team event, Mati had struck cadet boys’ team gold.

  • Nigeria battles Egypt, Tunisia for singles titles

    Nigeria is still in races to add to his medals’ haul at the ITTF Africa Junior and Cadet Championship as the West African giant battles the North Africans – Egypt and Tunisia in the singles events.

    Already with three gold medals in the team events were in the kitty for Nigeria and today which is the final day of the tournament, it promises to be exciting as battle for the podium gets hotter.

     It is Day 7 of the ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships here in Accra, Ghana; the final day of the competition. And what a swell time we – the 21 participating teams, the fans, officials and the media – have all had in the hospitable ambience of the former Gold Coast!

    As the table tennis fiesta hits peak point today, more fireworks are in the offing as new singles champions are crowned.

    It has been a week of exhilarating play by the African continent’s young and upcoming stars in the game cutting across the cadet, junior and U-21 categories. The competition has been top-notch with the players displaying exceptional skills on the table to the admiration of the fans at the Sports Trust Emporium here in Accra.

    Out of the 21 teams which started the journey on Sunday April 7, four are still in the race for the titles in the last six events.

    President, African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled El-Salhy, lauded the players for putting up a good show in the championships while hoping that the two teams that qualified for the World Junior Championships (WJC) in Thailand would prepare very well and make the continent proud.

    “I am so happy with the way the players and teams conducted themselves in the tournament. I must also commend the organisers and host, Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), for their hospitality and warm reception. We hope and believe the performance in Ghana will surely be replicated in Thailand,” the ATTF chief said.