Table Tennis
ARUNA QUADRI’S SWANSONG EARNS SPORTING 37TH TITLE IN PORTUGAL
It was an emotional feeling for Aruna Quadri during the final of the Portuguese national league final as the Nigerian played his last match for the team to claim its 37th title.
Quadri who joined the team in 2016 from GD Toledos was the cynosure of all eyes as fans and players hailed the Nigerian for his immense contribution to the team.
To win the fifth league title with Sporting, Quadri was full of appreciation to the team that he admitted has helped his career to glow.
Sporting CP won the fifth championship in a row and 37th national title on Sunday July 5, when they beat GD Toledos 3-0 in the 2nd leg of the final held at the High Performance Center of Vila Nova de Gaia, after repeating the same margin in the first leg on Saturday July 4.
From the 18 league matches played this season, Sporting were unbeaten dropping only five sets in all their matches to attain 70 points which is 22 more than second placed GD Toledos.
A delighted Quadri who will be moving to Germany next season described Portugal as a home away from home.
“After ten years in Portugal, it was time to leave for a championship with another level.
“I was very happy here, Portugal for me is almost the same as Nigeria and I will continue to live in Portugal because I have a family here. I will train a few times at Sporting for the year,”Quadri said.
For the final match against his former club, he said: ”It was a very difficult game particularly against my former team and mate, Diogo Silva, who is a player with a lot of talent.
“We played together for four years and it is always difficult to play against him.”
Also Quadri’s compatriot – Bode Abiodun admitted that it was a difficult match having returned to the game after several weeks of inactivity. “It was a very difficult game, but I am very satisfied with the victory and with another title, which was the main objective of the season.”
Portuguese international, Diogo Carvalho also spoke about the tie, “We managed to win another title for Sporting, which was our goal. The match with Énio was very tactical, because we know each other well, we played together for six years in Spain, so we know each other’s game.”
The coach of Sporting, Chen CP Shao, lauded the players. “This Championship final was complicated, with a long stop and now without the public at the stands. The players managed to show some quality, despite having been out for four months.”
For the President of Portugal Table Tennis Federation, Pedro Miguel Moura ending the league was a big achievement for the federation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was a very special moment for the Portuguese Table Tennis Federation, I hope it is very special for the whole community.
“Although this is the end of the season, we start with the starting point of what will be the next months of table tennis in Portugal, with this new reality. It was a learning process to continue doing what we like, which is to practice table tennis.
“Train and compete within the rules of protection, with health. We will have been the first sport to compete in this phase of deflation so it is a very special moment for us.
“I would also like to leave a word to the club presidents, because they have offered to come here to dispute this final phase, and to the Federation staff, who have been tireless in these last two weeks. ”
Results
2nd Leg
GD Toledos, 0 – Sporting CP, 3
Énio Mendes, 1 – Diogo Carvalho, 3 (3-11, 3-11, 11-5, 5-11)
Diogo Silva, 1 – Aruna Quadri, 3 (11-5, 6-11, 7-11, 3-11)
Boboye Oyenyan, 0 – Bode Abiodun, 3 (8-11, 5-11, 8-11)
First Leg
Sporting CP, 3 – GD Toledos, 0
Aruna Quadri, 3 – Énio Mendes, 2 (11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3)
Diogo Carvalho, 3 – Diogo Silva, 1 (13-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7)
Bode Abiodun, 3 – Boboye Oyenyan, 1 (11-8, 11-4, 10-12, 11-6)
The ancient town of Otan Ayegbaju will once again take centre stage in Nigerian table tennis when it hosts the 6th Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Tournament from April 12 to 17, 2026.
The six-day championship, scheduled to take place at the iconic Idera Multipurpose Hall, has grown into one of the most prestigious events on the country’s table tennis calendar.
Established in honour of the late Michael and Felicia Alabi, the annual tournament has evolved beyond its memorial origins to become a major platform for discovering and developing emerging talent while giving established players the opportunity to reaffirm their dominance.
Over the years, the competition has served as an important bridge between grassroots participation and elite performance, attracting players from across the country and helping to strengthen Nigeria’s table tennis pipeline.
The 2026 edition is expected to be the biggest yet, with more than 250 players from all 36 states of the federation set to converge on the Osun State town.
Participants will compete across several categories ranging from U-15 singles to veteran, para and deaf divisions, reflecting the tournament’s commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity in sports.
Young prospects, experienced professionals, veterans, para-athletes and deaf athletes will compete side by side, creating a diverse and competitive environment that organisers say embodies the values of unity, resilience and excellence.
Beyond the competition itself, the tournament is also expected to attract coaches, scouts, administrators and table tennis enthusiasts from across Nigeria, reinforcing its growing reputation as a talent-development platform.
The influx of athletes and visitors is also anticipated to boost economic activity in the host community, with hotels, transport services and local businesses preparing to welcome guests during the week-long event.
Organisers believe the presence of top-level competition in the town will inspire young people in the community, giving them the opportunity to witness elite table tennis firsthand and potentially sparking interest in the sport among the next generation.
The event is supported by the Osun State Government, the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation and the Osun State Table Tennis Association.
As anticipation builds, fans and stakeholders are preparing for six days of intense competition, tactical brilliance and memorable moments when the 2026 Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Tournament returns to Otan Ayegbaju next month.
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Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has tasked the newly inaugurated board of the Lagos State Sports Trust Fund (LSSTF) to channel resources toward the growth of grassroots and school sports, as well as broader sporting activities across the state.
The governor gave the charge on Wednesday, February 18, during the board’s inauguration at Lagos House, Marina.
The LSSTF board is chaired by former Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development and current President of the International Table Tennis Federation Africa, Enitan Oshodi, while Olaposi Agunbiade will serve as Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer.
Other board members include Olabode Agoro, Adeniyi Adekoya, Gbolahan Onibuje, Jubril Gawat, Kikelomo Bolarinwa, Olayemi Sarumi, Lekan Fatodu, Moshood Ajide and Engr. Ibrahim Adigun, Chairman of the Chairmen of Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas.
Focus on Institutions and Funding
Addressing the board, Sanwo-Olu urged members to leverage their professional expertise and networks to build a strong and enduring sports institution for Lagos.
“The mandate is straightforward — to support funding in sports and establish strong institutions for today and future generations,” the governor said. “I implore you to deploy resources into grassroots and school sports, and to enhance facilities across our divisions. This quasi-body can also reach out to the private sector, drawing on government experience to attract wider support.”
He stressed the importance of institutional strength and sustainable funding models in positioning Lagos as a leading sports hub.
Private Sector Partnership Key
In his remarks, Oshodi underscored the need to create sustainable funding pathways to support sports infrastructure and athlete development across the state.
“The Lagos State Government is spending a lot on sports, but in a megacity of over 20 million people, it is never enough,” he said. “We need facilities to support athletes, and the private sector’s involvement is crucial. With the capacity of this board, we are confident of securing that support.”
Oshodi added that while the board is focused on achieving immediate successes, its broader objective is to lay the foundation for long-term and sustainable sports development in Lagos.
The LSSTF was established to mobilise additional funding and partnerships to complement government investment in sports, with particular emphasis on youth development, infrastructure improvement and talent identification across the state’s divisions.
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Omar Assar reaffirmed his dominance of African table tennis on Monday as he clinched a record seventh men’s singles title at the ITTF Africa Cup in Benghazi, Libya, while teenage star Hana Goda continued her remarkable rise by securing her fourth women’s singles crown.
Assar was imperious throughout the tournament, completing a flawless run without dropping a single set across six matches.
The Egyptian swept most of his opponents 3–0 or 4–0 and sealed the title with a commanding 4–0 victory (12–10, 11–8, 11–7, 11–7) over Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa in the final, successfully defending the crown he reclaimed in 2025. His triumph further cemented his status as the only male player to win the Africa Cup seven times.
Despite the defeat, Bouloussa enjoyed a historic campaign, becoming the first Algerian to reach the Africa Cup final. The 22-year-old produced one of the tournament’s standout performances in the semifinals, edging Nigeria’s five-time champion Quadri Aruna 4–3. Bouloussa is set to make his debut at the ITTF World Cup in Macao next month.
In the women’s singles, Goda—still the youngest-ever Africa Cup champion at just 14—was equally dominant. The Egyptian teenager brushed aside her compatriot and nine-time title holder Dina Meshref 4–0 (12–10, 11–3, 11–7, 11–9) in the final to retain her title and extend her unbeaten run on the continent.
Algeria’s teenage prodigy Tania Morice also emerged as one of the revelations of the competition. Building on her cadet title at the Africa Youth Championships in Lagos last year, Morice finished among the top four in Benghazi to secure her first ITTF World Cup ticket. She defeated experienced opponents, including Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello, Madagascar’s Hanitra Raharimanana and Tunisia’s Abir Haj Salah en route to the semifinals.
Overwhelmed by her breakthrough, Morice described the achievement as “incredible,” adding that the support of her coaches, teammates and parents had been crucial to her rapid rise.
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