The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF)

  • ITTF Nigerian Open gets title sponsor

    Nigeria’s leading gaming company, Premier Lotto has thrown its weight behind the fourth edition of the ITTF World Tour Nigerian Open (Lagos 2016) holding from May 18 to 22nd at the Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

    This partnership with the ITTF/NTTF means that Premier Lotto becomes the title sponsor of Nigeria’s  foremost international  sports tournament for this year. This partnership is in addition to the numerous support that the Sir Chief Kessington Adebutu owned company has given to the development of various sports and education in the country. The famed philanthropist is well known for his love for grassroots and school sports development.

    According to the President, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi, this is an excellent development for table tennis as the sport is getting a much needed boost from the support of Premier Lotto and furthermore it shows their continued commitment to sports development

    “We are very happy that Premier Lotto is coming on board alongside the Lagos State Government who have been the backbone of the tournament since inception and this is a big boost for the sport in Nigeria. The competition will now be known as The ITTF Premier Lotto Nigerian Open.

    “We are expecting over 30 of the worlds top players and olympic qualifiers including our own Aruna Quadri and the peerless Segun Toriola among others. We must also thank those companies that have continued to support this event as it continues to grow from year to year. We hope that other corporate bodies will come on board to emulate Premier Lotto as we are getting closer to the kick off of the competition,” Oshodi said.

    The Nigerian Open is the foremost Challenge Series tournament in the ITTF calendar with participants jostling for $46,000 (N13.8m) this year.

    Six events have been listed by the world table tennis ruling body and they are singles (men and women); doubles (men and women) as well as U-21 boys and girls.

    The players will be using the tournament to garner world ranking points as well as make it to the end-of-the-year ITTF World Tour Finals.

    The tournament, which will be heralded in by the NTTF’s U16 Super League Finals at the same venue on the 14th of May promises to deliver a week of excitement for Nigeria’s teeming sports fans.

  • ITTF Nigerian Open: Media accreditation opens

    The media accreditation for the 2016 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Lagos World Tour tagged Nigerian Open begins across the country.

    Intending journalists and media houses willing to cover the five-day championship are expected to send their names and medium to nigeriattf@gmail.com. The deadline for registration has been fixed for May 10.

    According to the organisers – Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), this year’s tournament promises to be exciting as top players from Africa and Europe have confirmed their participation in the highest-paid Challenge series in the ITTF World Tour calendar.

    According to ITTF Director of Competition, Karl Jindrak, the Nigerian Open is one of the Challenge Series tournaments in the ITTF calendar, and it holds on May 18 to 22 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

    Participants will jostle for $46,000 (N13.8m) this year, while defending champion, Egypt’s Omar Assar will be making a return to Lagos after the disappointing defeat he suffered against Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri at the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup in Khartoum, Sudan.

    Also, other top players from Egypt who have been part of the championship in the last three years are expected to return to Lagos in their bid to sweep the prize money.

    Six events have been listed by the world table tennis ruling body and they are singles (men and women); doubles (men and women) as well as U-21 boys and girls.

    There are indications that top players from Europe and Asia will be gracing this year’s tournament as part of their efforts to garner world ranking points as well as make it to the end-of-the-year ITTF World Tour Finals.

    According to the prospectus for the tournament, any player entering for the tournament will agree to abide by all ITTF rules and by the rules and regulations of the Organizing Committee.

  • Sports Ministry must support NTTF to lift table tennis – Omoniyi

    Sports Ministry must support NTTF to lift table tennis – Omoniyi

    Dotun Omoniyi believes all the feats achieved by table tennis in the last two years should be attributed to the singular efforts of the President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi, whom he described as a passionate lover of the sport.

    However, he charged the Ministry of Sports to support the federation in their bid to use the sport to bring more laurels to the country.

    “I think if there is anybody that should be commended for the feats achieved by table tennis in the country, it is the NTTF President. He has used his resources and time to lift the fortune of the game since coming on board. He is passionate about the sport as well as the players and this has continued to yield results for the country. But the Ministry of Sports must also come to his aid because he cannot continue to do this to the detriment of his hard-earned resources. If not for his efforts, I don’t think our players will feature in the ITTF African Junior & Cadet Championship in Algiers. It is high time that the ministry gave table tennis the needed attention because the sport has continued to put Nigeria on the world map,” he said.

    Omoniyi, who tutored the six-man national junior team in Algiers also tasked states associations to hit the ground running as their efforts would help to unearth new players for the country. “I believe the state sports ministry should also support NTTF by organising tournament and clinic for young people so that we can have more players coming through the rank in the sport.”

    Listing few of the feats recorded by table tennis, Omoniyi said: “If Aruna Quadri has been a footballer, I am sure by now he would have been celebrated better. How can they be honouring athlates without considering Aruna Quadri, who is now ranked 29 in the world and was also named the ITTF 2014 Player of the Year by the world table tennis ruling body. I think with all these few feats, table tennis should be well-funded to deliver more laurels for Nigeria.”  

  • ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup: Why I couldn’t make it to Sudan – Oshonaike

    ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup: Why I couldn’t make it to Sudan – Oshonaike

    After absenting herself from the 2016 ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup in Sudan, six-time Olympian, Olufunke Oshonaike has blamed it on paucity of fund.

    The trio of Aruna Quadri, Segun Toriola and Edem Offiong had to sponsor themselves to the tournament after the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) failed the secure the needed fund for the trip from the National Sports Commission (NSC).

    However, the Germany-based star told NationSport from her base in Hamburg that she would have loved to be at the tournament but she could not raise the fund to prosecute the trip. She lamented that it is disheartening that athletes had to be using their hard-earned money to represent their fatherland.

    “I don’t think this is too good for the country that in the year of the Olympics and we had a competition that would have helped us prepare well and unfortunately we could not get fund from NSC. At several times, we had to sponsor ourselves to competition and I think this is not too good for us because we also have responsibilities to our family,” she lamented.

    For the players competing at the Rio Olympics, Oshonaike tasked NSC to support all athletes to fulfil their dream of making the country proud. “Being the Olympics year, I want to use this medium to task the NSC to please support every athlete going to the Olympics in Brazil because this is the biggest stage for all of us,” she added.

    Meanwhile, Nigerian players failed to make it to the final in the women event after Edem Offiong was defeated 4-1 in the semifinal by Egypt’s Dina Meshref.

  • NTTF U-16 National League to debut

    NTTF U-16 National League to debut

    To unearth talents that will join the growing list of players already discovered, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is organizing U-16 national league that will involve players across the country.

    The league is meant to give new players the opportunity to make national junior teams as well as work their way into the senior team.

    It will hold on March 29 to April 8 at the National Training Centre in National Stadium while the grand finale which is known as Super League will hold on May 14 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

    Each state across the country is expected to present two boys and two girls while the top eight players in the boys and girls event will qualify for the Super League.

    According to the prospectus of the tournament, states wishing to participate will register with the NTTF, while only the first 20 boys teams and the first 16 girls teams to register for the League shall be accepted to participate while only players registered by states which are affiliated to NTTF are eligible to participate, while all players shall hold the current NTTF Player’s License, which must be produced on demand.

     For the President of NTTF, Wahid Oshodi, more talented players would be given the opportunity to showcase their skills to the national handlers.

    “I think our focus in 2016 as in 2015 is that we must continue to develop the junior and cadet players. We must give our most talented young players the right atmosphere for them to grow. This of course means giving them the best coaching and affording them the opportunity to play in tournaments internationally so we can assess how well they are doing against the best young players in the world. We have done quite well in this regard in the last two years but there are a lot more gifted players all over the country and we must do our best to discover and harness them. We hope to be able to create new tournaments outside Lagos and Abuja. If we can find the right partnerships with the private sector this will assist greatly in boosting the spread of the game all over the country,” Oshodi said.

  • ITTF condoles with Nigeria over Ogunlade’s demise

    ITTF condoles with Nigeria over Ogunlade’s demise

    Executive member of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Khaled El-Salhy has condoled with the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) over the untimely demise of former junior star, Azeez Ogunlade.

    A saddened, El-Salhy who is also the President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) described the passing on of the player as a big loss to table tennis in Africa.

      “I am so sad for such sudden news, we have really a remarkable player who represented Nigeria and Africa at both cadet and junior levels”, said Khaled El-Salhy. “My deepest condolences on behalf of African Table Tennis Federation Executive Committee are extended to the family of Azeez  Ogunlade family and the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation.

      Like El-Salhy, Vice President of ATTF, Olabanji Oladapo said: “The death of Azeez  Ogunlade came as a rude shock to me in d US where I am currently holidaying. It is very unfortunate that ATTF had to lose such a budding star at a tender age. I commiserate with the President, Secretary-General, entire members of the board of NTTF, players, family and his friends on his demise. May we not witness such sudden death again in the federation.”

    Anan Executive Vice President, Development of ATTF, Farah Hassan Farah said: “This is a heart breaking news! ! It is shocking to hear it. On behalf of Djiboutian federation, tennis table players, and specially my son Abdourazack are join me to present their sincere sympathies to Azeez Family and President Wahid Oshodi.”

    Ogunlade died on Sunday 15th November after a brief illness; he was only 20 years old.