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2020 ITTF AFRICA TOP 16 CUP: ALGERIAN STAR EAGER TO HALT DOMINANCE OF QUADRI, ASSAR IN TUNISIA

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After hobnobbing with the heavyweights in several major competitions, Sami Kherouf alongside Mohamed Boudjadja at the 2019 African Games became the first set of Algerian players to win gold medal at the multi-sports tournament.

The men’s doubles title was celebrated by the government of Algeria and again, Sami Kherouf is hoping to go beyond this at the 2020 ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup in Tunisia.

The 31-year-old has been listed among the cast for the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup in Tunisia from February 24 to 26 and the 31-year-old is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to halt the dominance of Aruna Quadri and Omar Assar.

“I am preparing for the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup like every African competition with the ambition to do better than the last edition. My main goal in Tunisia is to win a medal at Africa Top 16 Cup.”


Being his third appearance in the tournament, Kherouf has been threatening the old order and believes he might alter the order this year.

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“I don’t set a specific goal as the dream of every player is to win tournament and this is my ambition which is the will to go farther. I am not bothered about the seeding list as seeding can be altered on table. I don’t care about the rating as I am aiming to win every game I play. I believe the ranking will change after the tournament,” he boasted.

Also, the President of Tunisia Table Tennis Federation (TTTF) Lotfi Guerfel has assured of the country’s readiness to stage a befitting tournaments.

 “Everything is ready. We started panning for the events when the announcement was made that Tunisia will host the two tournaments at the Annual General Meeting of African Table Tennis Federation in Morocco in 2019.

“We have booked the venue; arrangement for the hotel has been made while officials of the African Federation have also come for inspection of facilities.

“For us, hosting a major competition is the best way to promote table tennis more in Tunisia and it is an opportunity to talk about table tennis in the media as well as to get equipment donations from ITTF,” he said.

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Acknowledging the quality of players, he said: “The best players are from Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia and Algeria, this was again been confirmed at the 2019 African Games in Morocco with the emergence of individual talents like Ibrahima Diaw of Senegal and Sarah Hanffou of Cameroon.”

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Nigeria, Togo Set to Defend Titles at 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships in Lagos

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Defending champions Nigeria and Togo are gearing up to retain their titles at the 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships, scheduled to take place from July 16 to 19 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

Nigeria, the region’s most decorated team, will defend its women’s team title, which it retained in Lomé last year. Meanwhile, Togo will aim to secure a second consecutive men’s team title, following a thrilling 3-2 victory over Nigeria in the 2024 final.

This year’s championship will feature strong competition from across the region, with Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger Republic, and Sierra Leone joining the fray.

In the singles events, Nigeria’s top-ranked player, Matthew Kuti, will defend his men’s singles title. Kuti made history last year in Lomé by defeating Côte d’Ivoire’s Oba Oba Kizito 4-1 to claim his first regional crown. A repeat victory would make him the first male player to win back-to-back singles titles in the tournament’s history.

The women’s singles title is open for the taking following the absence of reigning champion Hope Udoaka of Nigeria, setting the stage for a new champion to emerge.

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The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2025 African Championships, to be held later this year in Rwanda. With the advantage of home support and the largest player contingent, Nigeria is also eyeing a return to the top in the men’s team event.

Participation has reached a new high, with over 10 countries confirmed, surpassing previous editions that peaked at nine. Notably, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Niger Republic are returning to the competition after years of absence.

“All eyes will be on Nigeria,” said Ferdinand Sonou, Vice President of ITTF Africa West Region and former President of the Benin Table Tennis Federation. “Nigeria has a proven track record of hosting international competitions, and teams always look forward to playing here. This tournament marks the beginning of a series of international events in Lagos, and I believe we’ll witness the emergence of new stars alongside the established ones.”

Sonou also commended ITTF Africa President Wahid Enitan Oshodi for his continued support, noting that the increased number of participating teams reflects the growing strength of table tennis in the region.

The 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships promise high-stakes action, intense rivalries, and a celebration of West African table tennis excellence.

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Aruna, Goda join star-studded cast at WTT Star Contender in Slovenia

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Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Hana Goda are among the elite players set to compete at the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025, taking place in Slovenia.

The WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025 boasts a prize pool of $300,000 and offers valuable ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking points.

The singles champions will receive $17,000 and 600 points, while the doubles champions will take home $5,500 and 600 points.

This highly anticipated event, hosted at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, has attracted a star-studded lineup of table tennis greats.

Aruna, currently ranked 24th in the world and the highest-ranked African player, is seeded No. 14 in the men’s singles and has received a bye into the second round (last 32). He is expected to face the winner between Japan’s Shunsuke Togami and China’s Xu Haidong on Friday, June 20.

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Similarly, Goda, seeded No. 15 in the women’s singles, also received a bye into the second round. She is set to face the winner between Japan’s Sakura Yokoi and South Korea’s Joo Cheonhui.

Some of the world’s best players will battle it out over five events in what promises to be a week-long table tennis spectacle.

Leading the charge in the men’s singles is Brazilian star and 2025 World Championships runner-up, Hugo Calderano.

Known as the “Thrill from Brazil,” Calderano returns to Slovenia with bold ambition, looking to defend his title from last year’s triumph.

Joining him are global heavyweights including Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, winner of the Men’s Singles title at WTT Star Contender Doha 2025; Felix Lebrun, champion at WTT Champions Montpellier 2024; and Slovenian home favourite Darko Jorgic.

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In the women’s singles, Japan’s Miwa Harimoto headlines the field after claiming the title at WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025. Her compatriot Hina Hayata is also back to defend her title from last year’s Ljubljana tournament.

Other strong contenders include South Korea’s Shin Yubin, seeking her first WTT Star Contender title, as well as Romania’s Bernadette Szocs and China’s Qian Tianyi, both of whom are expected to make deep runs in the competition

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Gateway Games 2024: Teams, Players Battle for 46 Gold Medals in Table Tennis

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Participants in the table tennis event of the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games 2024, will be vying for a total of 46 gold medals up for grabs.

The table tennis competition features athletes across three categories: able-bodied, para-athletes, and deaf athletes. Seven gold medals are available in the able-bodied category, while deaf athletes will contest for five gold medals. Para-athletes will compete for a whopping 34 gold medals across various events, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team events.

In the able-bodied category, athletes will compete in singles (for men and women), doubles (for men and women), mixed doubles, and team events (for men and women). Deaf athletes will contest in singles (men and women), doubles (men and women), and mixed doubles.

Para-athletes will participate in four team events—men’s classes 1–5 and 6–10, and women’s classes 1–5 and 6–10. There will also be 18 singles events for men and women, eight doubles events, and four mixed doubles events.

Delta State dominates the seeding lists for both able-bodied and para-athlete categories. Fatimo Bello of Delta State is the top seed in the women’s singles, while Bayelsa’s Olajide Omotayo leads the men’s singles. Lagos and Oyo States top the seedings in the deaf singles events.

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According to the tournament referee, Ranti Lajide, this year’s tournament promises to be thrilling, especially with the inclusion of Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) by the National Sports Commission (NSC).

“Lajide said: “We are going to witness top-class table tennis, especially from players who recently featured in the ITTF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

“The knockout format of this year’s tournament will make it even more exciting and competitive. I hope we can conclude all matches before the closing ceremony on May 29,” Ranti said.

“The turnout of teams has been impressive, even from states that haven’t traditionally featured in the table tennis events of the NSF. Beyond the medals, I believe the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) will be able to discover new talents for future development,” he added.

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