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Tag: Tosin Esther Oribamise

  • IOC to confirm Oribamise, others for 2018 Youth Olympic Games

    IOC to confirm Oribamise, others for 2018 Youth Olympic Games

    Less than 24 hours after Nigeria’s Tosin Esther Oribamise and three others qualified for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will this week confirmed the Nigerian star alongside others for the multi-sports tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    According to ITTF Competition Manager, Mounir Bessah, the list of the African qualifiers would be forwarded to IOC today and the Olympic body is expected to confirm their qualifications from the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the players.

    “I will send Oribamise and three others names to IOC Wednesday and hoping that IOC will then need to confirm their qualification based on the results recorded at the qualifiers in Tunis from their various NOC. It is after this that they will be registered formally by the world body. But I will need to send it to IOC first which they will confirm to me before the end of this week,” Bessah said.

    Oribamise is the second Nigerian player to be featuring in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) after Ojo Onaolapo took part in the maiden edition of YOG in Singapore, where he made it to the quarterfinal stage of the boys’ singles and now the Ondo State-born star is now integral part of the senior national team.

    However, President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, said the four players were indeed the best from the continent considering the qualities they displayed at the qualifiers.

    “I am satisfied with the qualities of play from all the players that took part in the qualifiers and those that emerged were indeed the best from the qualifiers. I just need to appeal to national associations to ensure that these four players prepare very well for the games because I could recall at the maiden edition of the game in Singapore, Africa represented by Tunisia’s Adam Hmem partnered with a Chinese player to win bronze in the mixed doubles event and it will be good if Africa can also do well next year in Argentina,” El-Salhy said.

    He however, said there are possibilities that Africa applied for wildcards which he said can only be awarded to countries with less number of participants in the games. “We hope to apply for wildcards because at the 2014 edition in China, we had four wildcards for Togo, Congo Brazzaville and others making African having eight players competing. But we hope we can apply again but this will only be given to countries with less number of participants in the games and not to top countries,” the ITTF Africa boss added.

  • Ministry of sports failed table tennis players – Oribamise

    Ministry of sports failed table tennis players – Oribamise

    After being the only Nigerian player to have qualified for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Tunis, Tosin Esther Oribamise has stated that the inability of the ministry of Youth and Sports to ensure that the team featured at the ITTF African Junior Championship has hurt the players.

     

    A not-too-happy Oribamise told NationSport yesterday after winning the qualifiers in Tunis that her qualification and victory were to prove that the government has failed the young players when it mattered most.

     

    “It was very painful to us that after preparing very well and having told our friends and families that we were going for the ITTF African Junior Championship, only to be told few days to the tournament that the Ministry of Youth and Sports cannot provide the need fund for the trip. All the players came together their various homes in Kwara, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos, accommodated and fed by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) under the watchful eyes of our coaches.

     

    “We were hurt seriously by this kind of news. But I had used my qualification to prove them wrong that if we had come for the ITTF African Junior Championship, we would have prepared enough like our other counterparts to ensure we seal two slots. Unfortunately, my teammate could not make despite trying his best,” she said.

  • Oribamise berths in 2018 Youth Olympic Games

    Oribamise berths in 2018 Youth Olympic Games

    …Solanke fails to pick a slot

     

    They came, they competed and they did not leave empty-handed and this aptly summarises the experience of the Nigeria’s representatives at the just concluded ITTF Africa Youth Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

    With a lot of adversaries on her way, Tosin Esther Oribamise returned Nigerian table tennis to the global stage at youth level when she sealed one of the two slots available for Africa in the girls’ event in Tunis Monday.

    From all her matches in the group stage, Oribamise won easily against her opponents but she met a stiff wall in Tunisia’s Garci Fadwa who nearly scuttled the dream of the Nigerian. But with technical input from Coach Dotun Omoniyi, Oribamise silent the Tunisian fans to win at 3-2 in order to set up a semifinal clash against Ines Outolla.

    The semifinal tie which served as the only match that will decide the eventual qualifiers proved to be an easy nut to crack for Oribamise as she overwhelmed her Moroccan counterpart with a 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-1) bashing to secure the slot to YOG.

    Unlike Oribamise, Solanke failed the display the qualities of a typical Nigerian against Tunisia’s Nathael Hamdoun. The national junior champion became a shadow of himself against the Tunisian with a 4-0 (7-11, 8-11, 9-11, 6-11) loss to fail in his bid to join her compatriot in YOG.

    With this, Egypt’s duo of Youssef Abdel-Aziz and Marwa Alhodaby as well as Oribamise and Tunisia’s Hamdoun will represent Africa in the table tennis event of YOG come 2018.

     

  • Breaking News: Nigeria’s Oribamise qualifies for Youth Olympic Games

    Breaking News: Nigeria’s Oribamise qualifies for Youth Olympic Games

    Nigeria’s Tosin Esther Oribamise has qualified for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) holding in Argentina.

    Oribamise maintained her 100 per cent record in the qualifiers when she defeated Morocco’s Ines Outolla 11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-1 (4-0) in the semifinal round. She had earlier won all her matches in the group to progress to the last four as the finalists are expected to seal their slots at the YOG in the qualifiers.

    Also, Egypt’s Marwa Alhodaby joined Oribamise in YOG after beating Tunisia’s Garci Fadwa 4-0.

    Already, Oribamise and Alhodaby have qualified as Africa’s representatives in the table tennis event for girls in 2018 YOG. However, the two players will clash in the final later today to know the eventual winner.

    More details later…

  • ITTF African YOG Qualifying Tournament: Solanke, Oribamise seeded as tournament serves off

    ITTF African YOG Qualifying Tournament: Solanke, Oribamise seeded as tournament serves off

    Nigeria’s representatives in the ITTF African Youth Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Azeez Solanke and Tosin Esther Oribamise have been seeded number two respectively in the boys and girls event of the competition which serves off today at the Sports Palace in El-Mensah, Tunis.

    12 countries are competing for the four continental slots at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) holding in Argentina.

    Egypt’s duo of Youssef Abdel-Aziz and Marwa Alhodaby are the number seeds in the boys and girls respectively.
    Solanke has been drawn in group two alongside – Algeria’s Abdelbasset Chaichi, Libya’s Habeb Alajaebi and Ethiopia’s Kalab Bereba in the boys cadre, while Oribamise will battle Tunisia’s Garci Fadwa, Ethiopia’s Tamiru Feven Kinfu and Sierra Leone’s Zainab Sesay.

    A confident Oribamise told NationSport that she would use the tournament to prove a point after missing the ITTF African Junior Championships. “I think we just justify our coming to Tunisia particularly when the country failed to make fund available for us to be part of the 2017 ITTF African Junior Championships. But the President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi in his magnanimity decided to facilitate our participation in the qualifiers, so we are here for business which is to pick a slot to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Argentina next year,” a determined Oribamise said.

    In the draw conducted on Saturday April 15 by the tournament referee, Tunisia’s Bechir Metoui, the boys have been drawn into three groups of four players with the top players in group one and two getting a bye to the semifinal stage, while the top player in group three and second placed players in the groups will be drawn for a knockout matches to decide the players that will battle against the top two players in the semifinal round.

    All the round robin matches will be played on Sunday April 16 while the semifinal matches hold on Monday April 17 with the finalists in the boys and girls event qualifying automatically for the Youth Olympic Games.

  • Hopeful Team Nigeria arrives for YOG Qualifiers in Tunis

    Hopeful Team Nigeria arrives for YOG Qualifiers in Tunis

    The three-man Team Nigeria for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) qualifiers arrived yesterday in Tunis in readiness for the qualifying tournament holding at the Sports Palace El-Mensah.

    The team led by coach Dotun Omoniyi alongside Azeez Solanke and Tosin Esther Oribamise will join their counterparts from 15 countries to fight for the four slots available for Africa at next year’s YOG in Argentina.

    Already, Solanke has been seeded number two behind Egypt’s Youssef Abdel-Aziz in the boys event while Oribamise is seeded number three in the girls’ division.

    According to Solanke, he hopes to compensate for their missing of the ITTF African Junior Championship by securing one of the two slots at stake in the boys’ category.

    “It was painful missing the opportunity for us to compete at the World Championship again this year after the experience we had in 2016 in South Africa. Psychologically, it took a lot from all of us because we have been in camp for weeks only to be told few days to our planned departure that we will not be going again. I am so happy that we still the chance to prove ourselves with the YOG qualifiers, we will surely try our best in order to ensure we compete globally next year,” Solanke said.

    For Oribamise, the team would remain grateful to the President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) for giving them another opportunity at making a shot at global competition, while hoping that she could pick of the two slots for YOG.

    Meanwhile, the draws for the YOG qualifiers hold today April 15 with the players drawn into groups in a round robin format with the top players advancing to the knockout stage while the finalists will automatically qualify for YOG in Argentina come 2018.

  • ITTF African Junior Championships: Oribamise, Solanke to lead Team Nigeria to Tunis

    ITTF African Junior Championships: Oribamise, Solanke to lead Team Nigeria to Tunis

    Junior sensations – Tosin Esther Oribamise and Azeez Solanke will lead a 10-man Nigerian contingent to the 2017 ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships holding in Tunis on April 9 to 15.
    In the list made available to NationSport, the team includes five debutants who will compete in the cadet event of the championship.

    The debutants are Jamiu Ayanwale and Taiwo Mati (boys) as well as Rafiat Jimoh, Sukurat Aiyelabegan and Iyanuoluwa Falana (girls).
    2016 bronze medallist – Azeez Solanke will lead the boys team alongside Amadi Umeh and Abayomi Animasahun.

    According to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), the selection of the team was based on the players’ past and present records as well as several trials organised by the federation particularly the just concluded Olufunke Oshonaike Top 16 Championship held in Lagos.

    However, some of the debutants are still in cloud nine after realising that they will be jetting out of Nigeria for the first time in their lives. They are eagerly looking forward to the competition which they hope to use to prove their mettle. The continental championship serves as qualifiers for the World Junior Championship in Italy later in the year, while it will also be used to select the African team for the World Cadet Challenge.

    The Nigerian team is expected to compete in the team, doubles, mixed doubles and singles events of cadet, junior and U-21.

    For the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) qualifiers, Solanke and Oribamise will represent Nigeria in the event on April 16 to 17 at same venue in Tunis.

    In a statement signed by the President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, every country is expected to present a boy and a girl for the YOG qualifiers with the finalists qualifying automatically for the games in Argentina come 2018. “Africa has made it to the podium at YOG in Singapore 2010 and this time around we are hoping that we can get players and teams that will also return to the podium in 2018. For the qualifiers, the players will be drawn into groups in the first round with the top two players advancing to the second round of knockout. The finalists in the boys and girls event will automatically qualify for YOG,” he said.

  • Oribamise, Solanke to lead Nigeria to ITTF African Juniors

    Oribamise, Solanke to lead Nigeria to ITTF African Juniors

    Junior sensations – Tosin Esther Oribamise and Azeez Solanke will lead a 10-man Nigerian contingent to the 2017 ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships holding in Tunis on April 9 to 15.

    In the list made available to NationSport, the team includes five debutants who will compete in the cadet event of the championship.

    The debutants are Jamiu Ayanwale and Taiwo Mati (boys) as well as Rafiat Jimoh, Sukurat Aiyelabegan and Iyanuoluwa Falana (girls).

    2016 bronze medallist – Azeez Solanke will lead the boys team alongside Amadi Umeh and Abayomi Animasahun.

    According to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), the selection of the team was based on the players’ past and present records as well as several trials organised by the federation particularly the just concluded Olufunke Oshonaike Top 16 Championship held in Lagos.

    However, some of the debutants are still in cloud nine after realising that they will be jetting out of Nigeria for the first time in their lives. They are eagerly looking forward to the competition which they hope to use to prove their mettle. The continental championship serves as qualifiers for the World Junior Championship in Italy later in the year, while it will also be used to select the African team for the World Cadet Challenge.

    The Nigerian team is expected to compete in the team, doubles, mixed doubles and singles events of cadet, junior and U-21.

    For the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) qualifiers, Solanke and Oribamise will represent Nigeria in the event on April 16 to 17 at same venue in Tunis.

    In a statement signed by the President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, every country is expected to present a boy and a girl for the YOG qualifiers with the finalists qualifying automatically for the games in Argentina come 2018. “Africa has made it to the podium at YOG in Singapore 2010 and this time around we are hoping that we can get players and teams that will also return to the podium in 2018. For the qualifiers, the players will be drawn into groups in the first round with the top two players advancing to the second round of knockout. The finalists in the boys and girls event will automatically qualify for YOG,” he said.