African Games
Nigeria, Egypt, Others Shift Focus To 13th African Games –
After a not-too-impressive outing at the just concluded ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships (WTTTC), African table tennis heavyweights – Nigeria and Egypt as well as other continental contenders have now shifted focus to the forthcoming African Games taking place in Ghana.
For the 13th African Games, table tennis is one of the sports that will kick-start the games before the official opening on March 8 as the likes of Omar Assar of Egypt and Quadri Aruna of Nigeria are expected to begin their hunt for medals in the singles event. Seven titles will be at stake in Ghana in the table tennis event as Egypt who claimed most of the medals at the 2019 edition in Morocco will be hoping to dominate again in Ghana.
According to the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), the event will commence with singles, followed by team and doubles events as most of the continent’s top players will be heading to the WTT Singapore Smash from March 8 to 17.
A source said that this becomes necessary to allow the players to garner points for their eventual qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.
Meanwhile, WTT have confirmed Aruna and Egypt’s quartet of Assar, Ahmed Saleh, Dina Meshref and Hana Goda among the top players that will start their campaigns from the main draws on March 10.
Players that will kickstart their campaigns from the qualifying round include Egypt’s duo of Mariam Alhodaby and Yousra Helmy; Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou, Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi in the women’s singles.
In the men’s singles, Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali, Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa and Nigeria’s duo of Taiwo Mati and Olajide Omotayo will also begin their quest for glory from the qualifying round of the $1.5m prize money tournament.
The OCBC Arena Singapore will host Singapore Smash 2024 as the Lion City is set to host a star-studded ensemble of the world’s finest paddlers at Singapore Sports Hub, promising an exhilarating experience for fans locally and around the world.
For 2024, the spotlight will be on 2023 champions China’s Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha, both on a mission to defend their respective Men’s and Women’s Singles titles. Fan, boasting an impeccable singles record at the event, is aiming for a Singapore Smash three-peat.
His quest faces stiff competition from World No.2 Wang Chuqin, the reigning WTT Finals Men’s champion, and the legendary Ma Long, determined to secure his first Singapore Smash title after consecutive runner-up finishes.
The qualifying round takes place over March 7 to 9, leading into the main draw starting on Sunday, March 10.
Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who superintended the 13th African Games held in Accra Ghana in February has died.
He was the Chief Operating Officer of the Accra 2023 Local Organising Committee (LOC).
According to sources in Ghana, Dr. Owusu-Ansah was a sports administrator and coach, and thus left behind, a significant legacy in the world of sports.
Dr Owusu-Ansah, a former Chief Executive of the National Sports Authority (NSA), was widely regarded as an encyclopaedia of sports knowledge.
Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Owusu-Ansah, a former national chief athletics coach, authored the best-selling book “Principles of Abundant Living.”
He played a pivotal role in establishing the Department of Sports Studies at the College of Education at the University of Ghana. Additionally, he served as the Director of the Sports Directorate at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The Africa Students Football Union (ASFU) has expressed condolences over the passing of a patron of the union, Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who served as the COO of the just concluded 13th Africa Games held in Ghana.
Dr. Owusu-Ansah’s death was announced on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
According to a release by the executive secretary of the union, Femi Abioye, Owusu-Ansah until his death contributed immensely to sports development on the continent and the world at large.
He left an indelible impact on the lives of students-athletes coupled with sports administration across Africa countries.
The ASFU’s President, Prof. Oluwaseun Omotayo, who was shocked at the news of the demise of Dr. Owusu-Ansah described the deceased as a pillar, saying his departure has left a great vacuum in sports management.
He relished the deceased contribution and unwavering dedication to ASFU, saying the Union would miss the deceased.
“We will miss Dr. Owusu-Ansah, whose contribution to sports, knew no bounds. He was always ready to serve. He helped build the Union and was pivotal to the Union programmes. We will surely miss him,” he said.
He extended the Union condolences to all those affected by this loss, praying God grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
African Games
A milestone as Egypt becomes the first country to get 100 gold medals in African Games
As the curtain is drawn on the 13th African Games in Egypt, the traditional overall winners, have this time hit a milestone.
They have become the first to hit a 100 gold medal mark in the 59 year history of the games.
As at Saturday morning, they have amassed 101 gold medals, 54 more than that of the second placed Nigeria
The biggest star of the Egyptian team is swimmer Marwan Elkamash, who won five gold medals in the men’s 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 4x200m relays, all in freestyle.
But medal haul is still short that that of his compatriot, Faten Afifi who fished out seven gold medals from the pool.
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