ITTF Africa Cup Table Tennis Championship Serves off in Lagos Today

The much-celebrated 2022 ITTF Africa Cup table tennis championship will serve off today at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Speaking at a media parley in Lagos yesterday, the President, ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, revealed that top ranked tennis players such as Aruna Quadri, Omar Assar and 14-year-old Hana Goda will vie for honours in the championship. 

El-Salhy also said the tournament serves as the continental qualifiers for the end-of-the-year WTT Cup Finals which will have 28 men and 20 women from 13 countries competing for the singles titles.

Assar, who recently moved to Germany after playing two seasons in the French league will be championing the North African onslaught alongside defending champion Ahmed Saleh and Mohammed El-Beiali.

Assar who is Lagos fans’ favourite will be hoping to regain his top spot in the continent after being displaced by Quadri Aruna in 2020 and the 2019 Africa Cup champion has been warming up for the tournament in Germany.

14-year-old Hana Goda and African champion Mariam Alhodaby will be making their debut at the tournament while women’s defending champion, Dina Meshref, will be hoping to put the disappointment of 2021 behind her and aiming to hold on to the title she had won for more than six-times.

The ATTF Africa boss commended the Main Organising Committee, headed by Barrister Wahid Enitan Oshodi for making Nigeria and Lagos State in particular the destination of choice for table tennis.