Egypt and Nigeria set for renewed rivalry in African Championships

Egypt and Nigeria set for renewed rivalry in African Championships

Hassan Abdulsalam 10:15 - 18.09.2024

The championship will serve as qualifiers for the 2024 ITTF Mixed Team Cup in China and the 2025 World Championships in Qatar

The heated rivalry between Africa’s leading table tennis nations, Egypt and Nigeria, will be rekindled at the 2024 ITTF African Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from October 12 to 19.

The event will serve as qualifiers for the 2024 ITTF Mixed Team Cup in China and the 2025 World Championships in Qatar.

Top teams and regional champions will feature in two team events and five individual categories: Men’s Teams, Women’s Teams, Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.

As the reigning champions, Egypt will face fierce competition from arch-rival Nigeria, along with strong contenders like Tunisia and Algeria.

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Khaled El-Salhy, President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), expressed confidence in Ethiopia’s preparations, highlighting their successful hosting of the Eastern Regional Championships in 2023.

“We awarded the hosting right to Ethiopia after their presentation at the last AGM in Tunisia as well as the successful staging of the Eastern Regional Championships in 2023 which gave us a perfect indication that they deserve to get the host of the 2024 ITTF-African Championships especially that they have not hosted any African major events in Addis Ababa since 2000.

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“We believe the Ethiopia Table Tennis Federation has the experience to ensure a smooth and seamless tournament,” he said.

“The level of competition will be high as players vie for qualification to the 2025 World Championships in Doha, Qatar,” he added.

Nigerian Table Tennis legend Aruna Quadri.
Nigerian Table Tennis legend Aruna Quadri.

Ethiopia will host the championship for the first time in 24 years, and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have promised an exciting competition.

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