Olympics
Paris 2024: Aruna, Assar get trick draws in first-round of Men’s Singles
African superstars Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar have been handed tricky draws in the first round of Men’s Singles in the table tennis competition of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.
The draw conducted on Wednesday, July 24 at the South Paris Arena and witnessed by coaches and team managers also handed Africa’s flagbearers Egypt a big hurdle in the team and mixed doubles events.
Aruna has been handed a familiar foe in Romania’s Eduard Ionescu while his compatriot. Olajide Omotayo has a tough duel against Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan in the first round of Men’s Singles in the table tennis competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
It was a mixed fortune for other African stars at the draws as Egypt’s Omar Assar will face Madagascar’s debutant Fabio Rakotoarimanana while Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa will take on Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar.
Nigeria-born Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu will square up against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg, while the only African starting his campaign from the preliminary round of the Men’s Singles is Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw who will take on Nepal’s Santoo Shrestha.
Like Omotayo, Offiong Edem will lock horns against Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi while debutant Fatimo Bello will face a Herculean task against the Chinese-born French star Jia Nana Yuan in the first round of the Women’s Singles.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games mark a momentous occasion for table tennis: its 10th appearance as an Olympic sport, since its debut at Seoul 1988 in South Korea.
According to the head-to-head between Aruna and Romanian, both players have met once and that was during the semifinal of the European Champions League in which the Romanian defeated Aruna 3-2 and Paris 2024 will be their second meeting in any competition.
Like Aruna, Omotayo will face south-paw Iranian whose style most times confuses opponents and has also taken down some of the finest players in the world with his awkward style of play. Omotayo will have to be at his best if he hopes to win his first match at the Olympic Games.
In the Women’s Singles, African champion Dina Meshref of Egypt will face Spain’s Maria Xiao while her compatriot Hana Goda will confront returning nursing mother Britt Eerland of the Netherlands. Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi will take on world No. 2 Chen Meng of China.
Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou will start her quest for a place in the first round when she takes on Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill in the preliminary round of the Women’s Singles.
However, it was a tough task for Africa’s representatives in the team event as Egypt was handed Chinese Taipei and China in the first round of the Men and Women’s events.
Just like it is in the Team draws, Assar and Meshref will face World No. 1 Wang Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China in the first round of the Mixed Doubles event.
With the draw now complete, the table tennis world waits eagerly for July 27, when table tennis kicks off as the world’s best table tennis players are poised to deliver an unforgettable spectacle.
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will begin their campaign for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games from the second round of the African qualifiers after being granted a bye in the opening stage.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday in Cairo by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), placed Nigeria among 29 higher-ranked teams exempted from the first round of the series.
The Super Falcons will take on the winner of the first-round clash between South Sudan and Comoros in their opening fixture of the qualifiers.
A total of 35 nations are competing for just two available slots allocated to Africa for the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, underlining the intensity and high stakes of the qualification process.
The qualifiers will be contested over five knockout rounds on a home-and-away basis, leaving little room for error as teams battle for continental representation on the global stage.
The first round involves the six lowest-ranked teams—Sudan, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan, Madagascar and Comoros—based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. Winners from this stage will advance to face each other again before the 29 seeded teams, including Nigeria, enter the fray.
Nigeria will be aiming to consolidate their status among Africa’s elite women’s football nations, having qualified for the most recent Olympic tournament alongside Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Although the Super Falcons boast a notable Olympic pedigree, having made their debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and subsequently appearing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024, qualification has not always been easy.
The 16-year gap between their last two participations in Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024 illustrates the tough time they have endured in the qualifying series.
With the women’s football event at Los Angeles 2028 set to feature 16 teams—including hosts the United States—Nigeria’s path to qualification is expected to be demanding.
Attention will now shift to the preliminary encounter between South Sudan and Comoros, as Nigeria’s technical crew intensify preparations ahead of their second-round entry point.
For the Super Falcons, the mission is clear: successfully navigate a rigorous qualifying campaign and secure a return to the Olympic stage in 2028.
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Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will on Wednesday discover their route to the football event of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles when the Confederation of African Football conducts the official draw in Cairo.
The draw ceremony, scheduled for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, will set in motion Africa’s qualifying campaign for the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A total of 35 countries, including Nigeria, will participate in the race for just two tickets allocated to Africa for the Olympic football event, which will take place from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Alongside Nigeria, other contenders include continental heavyweights such as South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Zambia, as well as a wide range of emerging nations from across the continent.
The full list of participating teams also features Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
According to CAF, the qualification series will be played over five rounds, gradually narrowing the field to the two teams that will fly Africa’s flag at the Olympics in the United States.
For Nigeria, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, the qualifiers present another opportunity to reaffirm their continental dominance and secure a return to the Olympic stage after recent mixed fortunes in global competitions.
The Super Falcons, nine-time African champions, are expected to be among the top seeds when the draw is conducted, a factor that could influence their early-round opponents.
Wednesday’s ceremony in Cairo will therefore provide clarity on the fixtures, timelines and potential hurdles facing Nigeria and other contenders as the road to Los Angeles officially begins.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Morocco’s senior women’s national team will on Wednesday learn their opponents and qualification pathway to the football event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games when the Confederation of African Football stages the official draw in Cairo.
The draw, billed for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, marks the starting point of Africa’s qualifying campaign, with 35 nations set to battle for just two coveted Olympic slots.
For Morocco, the exercise represents another significant step in the country’s rapidly rising profile in women’s football. The Atlas Lionesses, who have emerged as one of Africa’s most improved sides in recent years, will be aiming to secure a historic qualification for the Olympic Games.
The North Africans will face stiff competition from traditional powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and Ghana, alongside other ambitious sides including Zambia and Senegal.
Also in the race are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
CAF confirmed that the qualifiers will unfold across five rounds, with the field gradually trimmed down until only two teams remain to represent Africa at the Olympics in the United States from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Morocco are expected to be among the seeded teams for the early rounds, a reflection of their recent performances on the continental stage, including their strong showing at recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Wednesday’s draw in Cairo will therefore be crucial in determining Morocco’s early matchups and the potential obstacles on their path, as they seek to translate recent progress into a maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
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