The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is looking up to the Ministry of Sports to be part of this year’s ITTF African Senior Championships holding in Agadir, Morocco on October 24 to 30.
According to the President of African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled El-Salhy, the tournament serves as qualifications for the 2017 World Team Cup as well as pre-requisite qualifications for the 2017 and 2018 World Championships. “The Morocco tournament is the qualification for 2017 ITTF World Team Cup, which will take place in the 1st quarter of 2017. Then also this African Championship is the prerequisite event for all African teams to take part in the 2017 ITTF World Table Championship (Germany) for individual events plus 2018 ITTF World TTC for team events (which means no countries from Africa will be part of the two world tournaments without taking part in the championship in Agadir – Morocco,” El-Salhy said.
For the President of NTTF, Wahid Oshodi, attending the tournament would help to compliment the giant stride made by Nigeria at global level.
“I really hope so we will make it to the championships in Morocco and as things are now we do not know. It is very important and crucial now because the African Championships serves as a qualifier for next year’s World Championships. We cannot afford not to be there. Especially when you consider that we now have such a strong team and this also serves to give one or two of our junior players a chance to play at the highest level on the continent. Like I have said I know that there are funding constraints but this is a tournament we cannot afford to miss. The lack of an opportunity to be there will definite set back all the gains we have made in the last few years. I continue to appeal to the honourable minister to help us out,” the NTTF boss pleaded.
The ITTF Nomination Committee member added: “We are still waiting hopefully. I hope they will find a way for us to attend this crucial event. The event is less than two weeks away and we are still unsure of our participation. Despite the fact that we put in such a decent performance at the Olympics, I hope they will come through.”
Aside the African Championships in Morocco, Nigeria is also expected to be part of the African teams that would compete at the 2016 ITTF World Junior Championships after qualifying from the African Junior Championships held in Algiers earlier this year, however, Oshodi says the federation would be relying on government to come to their aids in making this to this competition holding in Cape Town, South Africa come November this year.
“We are relying on the government to support as well as we can only hope that they see the importance of our being at these two events (African Championships and World Juniors). We will remain hopeful while we continue to appeal to the Ministry of Sports. Team Nigeria needs to be at both events as the Minister has shown its support to us in the past and we hope he will surely come to our aid again. The minister’s support for the team at Rio with the performance of Aruna Quadri has been a motivating factor for us in the federation and this is what has continued to inspire the players that their efforts will always be acknowledged by those in charge of sports in the country,” he explained.
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