Wahid Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), has reaffirmed the continental body’s commitment to supporting coaches in their quest to match their foreign counterparts.

Speaking as a guest at the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF)-organized National Hopes Week, Oshodi emphasized the importance of coaches growing alongside their players through regular training and courses to enhance their knowledge of the sport.

Following the recent Level 2 Coaching Course held in Tunisia, Oshodi assured that more training opportunities would be provided for those shaping future stars in Africa. “First of all, you need a pathway. Coaches who participated in last year’s ITTF training camp, which included the Level 1 Coaching Course, are part of this pathway.

“We want to see what the coaches are doing and bring the players they’ve been working with. For me, the main criterion is age. We need these kids playing U-9 and U-10 to develop into top players early.

“The best players in the world now are U-21, so we can’t do things differently. From what we’ve seen so far, Nigeria is on the right path.”

Oshodi added, “With NTTF National Hopes Week, we hope to see more talents emerge quickly. We have 30-40 children from all over Nigeria taking part, and the talent pool is much larger than that.

“Our coaches are improving, and we’re working on getting new courses for them so they can transfer their knowledge to the children. We’re pleased with the progress, and the results are starting to show.”

Tunji Lawal, Chairman of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association, also praised the initiative.

 “These are the future generations of Nigeria, and it’s great to see them in action.

“This shows we have potential in Nigeria, and future stars like Aruna Quadri are emerging. We’re glad to have this kind of initiative for the development of the game in Nigeria. I believe success comes from failure, so even if Lagos isn’t in the finals, it means we have more work to do to bring our players up to the required standard. We will continue to try and do our best,” Lawal said.

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After six days of intense training, culminating in a two-day tournament under the guidance of ITTF-certified coaches, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has selected eight players—four boys and four girls—to represent Nigeria at the 2025 ITTF Africa Hopes Week and Challenge, scheduled for July in Lagos.

The training session, held at the National Training Centre of the National Stadium in Lagos from April 2 to 7, saw the participation of 25 cadet (U-12) players from across the country.

Supported by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and ITTF Africa, National Hopes Week provided young athletes with valuable knowledge and experience to aid their development in the sport.

In the boys’ singles, Samson Joshua of Kogi emerged victorious, defeating Umar Ayoola of Oyo 4-2.

In the girls’ singles, Elizabeth Emelike of Abia triumphed over Deborah Faleye of Edo with a 4-1 win. All semifinalists in both the boys’ and girls’ singles events were selected to form Team Nigeria for the continental Hopes Challenge.

Joining Joshua and Ayoola in the boys’ squad are Lagos’ Juwon Ogunshakin and Habib Adebayo. The girls’ team will include Lagos State’s Semilore Owoiya and Emmanuella Ahaibu, alongside Emelike and Faleye.

An excited Emelike described the training as an excellent platform for improving her skills and aspiring to dominate the sport in Nigeria.

“I feel happy and great at the tournament, and I hope to become champion in my next tournament and win every tournament in the country.

“During the training, I learned how to serve, topspin, and receive various types of balls, as well as footwork. I will go back home and train more,” she said.

Joshua believes his victory marks the beginning of a promising career in table tennis. “I feel happy and thank my coach for allowing me to participate and perform well in the tournament. I thank God.

“My forehand topspin was good in the final match because I knew my opponent couldn’t follow up, so I used my energy to play the game,” the Kogi youngster said.

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For five days, 25 cadet players from across Nigeria have been rigorously training at the National Stadium in Lagos during the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF)-organized National Hopes Week.

This event combines extensive training with competitive matches to select the squad that will represent Nigeria at the 2025 ITTF Africa Hopes Week and Challenge, scheduled for July in Lagos.

The exercise, which began on April 2, will culminate on Monday, April 7, with the announcement of a four-member squad comprising two boys and two girls who will form the Nigerian contingent for the continental challenge.

Supported by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and ITTF Africa, the National Hopes Week was conducted by ITTF-certified coaches.

These coaches provided the selected players with valuable knowledge and experience to aid their development.

During the one-week training, the players were introduced to basic techniques and tactics in table tennis.

The youth coaches, led by Ifeoma Isaac, praised the initiative.

“I must commend the leadership of NTTF for organizing this training for the U-12 players, particularly focusing on new techniques in table tennis. We realized that the players lacked footwork and backhand skills. Over the last six days, we have trained them and hope that such exercises will be regular to help the players continue improving their game for the benefit of the country,” Isaac said.

Coach Ganiyu Kadiri also acknowledged the impact of the training camp, expressing satisfaction with the players’ response.

“I am particularly thrilled with the players’ enthusiasm during the training. This enthusiasm is crucial when learning new skills and makes our work as coaches easier. We are confident that regular training, rather than one-off exercises, will help our players compete on par with their international counterparts in major tournaments,” Kadiri noted.

Some players shared their experiences, commending the NTTF and ITTF Africa for creating the platform. They believe the training program will significantly enhance their skills.

The 2025 ITTF Africa Hopes Week & Challenge is a platform for young table tennis players, and it is a crucial event in nurturing the next generation of African talent, developing skills, and preparing players for continental and World Hopes Week competitions.

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