For the first time in recent history, Nigeria will not feature at the African Table Tennis Championships, scheduled to be held later this year in Morocco.
The absence comes as a direct consequence of the country’s failure to participate in the Western Region Championships in Conakry, Guinea — a crucial qualifying event for the African championships.
Nigeria’s quartet of Matthew Kuti, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Favour Ojo, and Khadijat Okanlawon had been slated to compete in Conakry.
However, their journey was cut short due to financial constraints, as the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) struggled to meet mounting expenses, including the ongoing camp for junior players at Babcock University in Ogun State.
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Despite this setback, the federation managed to send four cadet players — Umar Ayoola, Habeeb Adebayo, Emmanuella Shaibu, and Elizabeth Emenike — to Accra, Ghana, for the 2026 Africa Hopes Week & Challenge.
In addition, a 16-man team led by Kuti and Ojo is expected to depart for Accra this weekend to compete in the 2026 African Youth Championships and Cup (BRF Cup).
NTTF President, Adesoji Tayo, expressed regret over Nigeria’s withdrawal from the Guinea tournament. He explained that despite efforts to secure the team’s participation, exorbitant flight costs and the lack of support from the National Sports Commission (NSC) made the trip impossible.
“In the last two weeks, our young players have been in camp preparing for the three events in Ghana and Guinea. With support from friends of table tennis and the management of Babcock University, we provided a conducive environment for training and ensured that the cadet players heading to Ghana departed last weekend. Unfortunately, our request for NSC’s support for the Guinea trip was unsuccessful, and the prohibitive flight ticket prices forced us to withdraw. This competition also served as qualifiers for the 2026 African Championships in Morocco,” he said.
While Tayo assured that Nigeria will be represented at the African Youth Championships in Ghana, he admitted that missing the regional tournament in Guinea could have lasting consequences, particularly for Nigeria’s qualification prospects for the 2027 World Championships.
He added that the setback would also dent Nigeria’s reputation as a table tennis powerhouse on the continent.
(Ripples)
