The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has named Aruna Quadri and Funke Oshonaike and 10 other players for the 2021 African Senior Championships billed to hold in Cameroon.
Quadri is joined in the men’s team by; Olajide Omotayo, Bode Abiodun, Azeez Solanke, and Taiwo Matti.
For the women’s , national U-21 champion Bukola Ajayi, national champion Fatimo Bello, and Olympian Offiong Edem have all been selected along with Oshonaike.
Also, Lagos State champion, Bose Odusanya, will make her national team debut.
Cecilia Otu-Akpan returns to the team since her last appearance for the national team at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco.
Speaking on the team selection, the Chairman of the NTTF Caretaker Committee, Ishaku Tikon, pointed out that the inclusion of young players was necessary.
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“In view of the possible exit of some older players in the National teams in no distant time, we want these young players to play alongside some of the established stars.
“This will help them to also garner some experience while playing with the stars.
“It is clear that some of our players will soon leave the stage and it is imperative for us to start building a new team made up of young players.
“We are aware that exposing these players early will help build their confidence as well as give them an edge when it comes to international events,” Mr Tikon said.
The competition will hold September 1 to 7 in Yaounde.
It will serve as the qualifier for the 2021 ITTF World Championships scheduled for November in Houston, USA.
