Nigeria tennis stars, Quadri Aruna and Olajide Omotayo will lead eight other players to the upcoming 2024 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African Championships scheduled to be held from October 12 to 19, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) announced the 10-member squad yesterday and included other seasoned players Ajoke Ojomu and Fatimo Bello.
There are also promising young talents like Matthew Kuti, Muiz Adegoke, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Aishat Rabiu, Hope Udoaka, and Aziza Sezuo.
Matthew Kuti, who made his senior debut at the 2023 African Games in Ghana and competed in the 2023 African Championships in Tunis is West Africa champion and he will be making his second appearance at the continental event.
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However, Adegoke and Abdulfatai will debut at the African Championships after leading the men’s team to victory at the 2024 West Africa Regional Championships in Lome, Togo.
Udoaka, West Africa women’s champion, Rabiu and Sezuo, products of NTTF’s grassroots efforts, will also make their first appearance at the African Championships.
These players featured in the maiden Daniel Ford tournament and displayed exceptional skills to win the hearts of the national handlers.
NTTF Vice President Adesoji Tayo stressed that featuring junior players was part of the federation’s strategy to expose them to top-class competition early.
“This is another opportunity for them to gain experience at the African Championships. We are not expecting too much from them because they still need to gain more confidence.
“They have experienced players like Aruna, Omotayo, Bello, and Ojomu to learn from. We hope they can hold their own against some of the best players in Africa,” he said.
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