THE Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) on Tuesday confirmed its participation in the forthcoming Open Africa Junior/Cadet Championships in Abijan, Ivory Coast, between April 1 and April 13.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the championships are International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) qualifiers for the 2018 World Junior/Cadet Championships in Spain in May.

The NTTF Secretary Adebowale Adeosun, told NAN that eight players that excelled in the national Junior/Cadet Championships held in December, 2017 would represent the country in the competition.

Adeosun said the team was made up of eight players in the junior and eight in the cadet category, while the team would be accompanied by four officials.

“We are aware of the upcoming international championships and that has prompted us to embarking on early preparations.

“The objective behind our participation is to qualify our junior players for the world circuit.

“We will be featuring in the junior and cadet categories, so that players selected from the national open championships will represent the country in Abidjan.

“The team will comprise of eight players in each category, four male and four female players,’’ she said.

The NTTF scribe said the players had resumed training at the Knock-Up Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, under the supervision of the national coach.

According to her, the championships will provide the players the opportunities to be seeded in their various categories and brighten their chances in the ITTF ranking.

“This is a major platform for players to boost their ranking because the championships are being organised by ITTF, so we want our players to be participate.

“The championships is going to attract good players from ITTF affiliate countries and we want to make sure that our players are technically sound and well prepared for the competitions,’’ she said.

Adeosun said that necessary arrangements were in place toward ensuring Nigeria’s participation in the competitions.

She said that the team will be sponsored to the championships by the board of the NTTF. (NAN)

– Mar. 13, 2018 @ 14:39 GMT |