Table Tennis
Lagos brace up for WTT contender
With the conclusion of the WTT Contender in South Africa, India, Thailand and Jordan, the city of Lagos is the next point of call for top table tennis players across the world.
Nigeria remains the last nation among the five countries hosting the tournament for the first time bracing up to stage the WTT Series events in the 2023 season calendar.
Listed among the five countries to be staging the WTT Series for the first, Durban in South Africa hosted the first event from January 10 to 15, Jordan staged it from February 6 to 12 in its capital Amman.
Goa in India joined as a WTT Series host with a Star Contender event from February 27 to March 5.
Bangkok became the first Thai city to host a WTT Series event from April 23 to 29, before attention turns to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Table Tennis Championship Finals due to be held in Durban from May 20 to 28.
In June, it will be the turn of Lagos, one of the cities that have been synonymous with hosting major table tennis tournaments having staged several continental and world title championships in the last 10 years.
Already, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has named Kweku Tandoh as the Event Director while WTT team from Singapore will also be part of the $75,000 prize money tournament taking place on June 12 to 18 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.
Apart from the prize money, players will be aiming for points for their Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification.
Apart from Tunis in Tunisia that had hosted two editions of the WTT Contender, Lagos will be the second African city to host WTT Series.
WTT is the ITTF’s commercial arm launched in 2020, and the chair of its Board Liu Guoliang is excited with the new cities staging WTT events.
“World Table Tennis’s future shines ever brighter in 2023, further demonstrating the global influence of this sport we love,” Liu said.
“I hope more cities around the world, especially those beyond the traditional powerhouses, will play host to WTT events, experience the charm of table tennis through that and ultimately attract more people to participate in the sport.
“This has always been our most fundamental goal.”
ITTF Group chief executive Steve Dainton is encouraged about the sport’s prospects for 2023.
“The first two years of World Table Tennis provided a learning experience, and more importantly a launchpad for the future growth that begins now,” he said.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to recede, the calendar for World Table Tennis will continue to grow.
“Providing a worldwide, cutting-edge experience is the goal of World Table Tennis, and this year will show just how much we can deliver.”
The WTT Series features Contender and Star Contender events, Champions events for the best 32 men’s and women’s singles players and Grand Smashes, concluding with the end-of-season Cup Finals.
Nigeria’s Quadri Atunwon produced a remarkable comeback under intense pressure to secure the boys’ U-19 team title for his country at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships in Accra, Ghana.
Atunwon held his nerve in a dramatic deciding match as Nigeria recovered from 0-2 down to defeat Egypt 3-2 and retain their continental crown.
The victory proved to be Nigeria’s major consolation on a day otherwise dominated by Egypt, who underlined their status as Africa’s youth table tennis powerhouse by claiming three of the four team titles on offer.
The boys’ U-19 final provided the biggest drama, with Egypt racing into a 2-0 advantage and appearing on course for a clean sweep of the team events.
Sultan Agunbiade began Nigeria’s fightback with victory in the third match to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Matthew Kuti, who had earlier suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Yassin Gaber, then redeemed himself with a 3-1 victory over Abdelmalk Elsayed, drawing Nigeria level at 2-2 and setting up a winner-takes-all showdown between Atunwon and Gaber.
The deciding encounter lived up to the occasion.
Atunwon and Gaber traded games to leave the contest tied at 2-2 before the Nigerian surged into an 8-2 lead in the deciding fifth game.
Gaber, however, staged a stunning recovery, winning six successive points to level at 8-8 before moving to match point at 10-8.
With Nigeria’s title defence hanging by a thread, Atunwon responded magnificently.
He saved the match points to draw level at 10-10 and, after a tense exchange in the closing stages, eventually prevailed 16-14 to spark Nigerian celebrations and seal a memorable 3-2 triumph.
While Nigeria celebrated its U-19 success, Egypt dominated the remaining team competitions, winning the boys’ U-15, girls’ U-15 and girls’ U-19 crowns.
Nigeria, who entered the boys’ U-15 competition as defending champions, had earlier survived a stern semifinal challenge from hosts Ghana, squeezing through 3-2.
There was no repeat escape in the final as Egypt produced a flawless performance to win 3-0.
Ahmed Elsabbagh opened Egypt’s charge by beating Marvellous Joseph 3-0, before Asser Sameh overwhelmed Usman Ayoola by the same scoreline. Hussein Eyad completed the rout with another straight-games victory over Samson Joshua.
Egypt also reclaimed the girls’ U-15 crown they lost to Uganda in 2025, defeating Tunisia 3-1 in the final.
Their dominance extended to the girls’ U-19 event, where Algeria were swept aside 3-0 as Egypt successfully retained the title.
With three of the four team trophies secured, Egypt reaffirmed its dominance of African youth table tennis in Accra, but Nigeria ensured there would be no Egyptian clean sweep thanks to Atunwon’s unforgettable performance in the boys’ U-19 decider.
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Nigeria will not participate in the 2026 African Table Tennis Championships in Morocco, marking the country’s first absence from the continental showpiece in recent history following its failure to feature in the qualifying Western Region Championships held in Conakry, Guinea.
The development comes as a major setback for Nigerian table tennis, which has long been regarded as one of Africa’s leading forces in the sport.
Nigeria had initially planned to send a four-man contingent comprising Matthew Kuti, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Favour Ojo and Khadijat Okanlawon to the regional championships in Guinea. However, financial challenges forced the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) to withdraw from the tournament, thereby forfeiting its opportunity to qualify for the African Championships later this year in Morocco.
The federation’s financial difficulties were compounded by the costs of hosting an ongoing training camp for junior players at Babcock University in Ogun State, leaving insufficient resources to fund the Guinea trip.
Despite missing out on the regional qualifiers, the NTTF succeeded in sending four cadet players — Umar Ayoola, Habeeb Adebayo, Emmanuella Shaibu and Elizabeth Emenike — to Accra, Ghana, for the 2026 Africa Hopes Week and Challenge.
The federation is also expected to dispatch a 16-member squad, led by Matthew Kuti and Favour Ojo, to Ghana this weekend for the 2026 African Youth Championships and Cup (BRF Cup).
NTTF President Adesoji Tayo expressed disappointment over Nigeria’s inability to participate in the Conakry event, blaming the withdrawal on soaring travel costs and the absence of financial support from the National Sports Commission (NSC).
According to Tayo, the federation made every effort to ensure the team’s participation but was ultimately overwhelmed by the cost of air travel.
“In the last two weeks, our young players have been in camp preparing for the three events in Ghana and Guinea. With support from friends of table tennis and the management of Babcock University, we provided a conducive environment for training and ensured that the cadet players heading to Ghana departed last weekend,” Tayo said.
“Unfortunately, our request for NSC’s support for the Guinea trip was unsuccessful, and the prohibitive flight ticket prices forced us to withdraw. This competition also served as qualifiers for the 2026 African Championships in Morocco.”
While assuring that Nigeria will maintain a presence at the African Youth Championships in Ghana, Tayo acknowledged that missing the regional qualifiers could have far-reaching implications for the country’s international ambitions.
Beyond forfeiting a place at the African Championships, Nigeria’s absence from the Guinea tournament could negatively affect its pathway towards qualification for the 2027 World Table Tennis Championships.
The NTTF president also warned that the development could tarnish Nigeria’s standing as one of Africa’s traditional table tennis powerhouses, particularly at a time when several rival nations are investing heavily in the sport.
The absence from Morocco will therefore represent not only a competitive setback but also a symbolic blow for a nation that has produced some of Africa’s most celebrated table tennis stars and has consistently been a dominant force at continental competitions.
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Top table tennis nations, including Japan, the Republic, Germany and France, will headline the 2026 WTT Contender Lagos, which serves off from May 19 to 24 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
The Lagos tournament, regarded as one of the most colourful and energetic stops on the World Table Tennis (WTT) calendar, is one of only 10 events listed in the 2026 WTT Contender Series.
Players from Denmark, the United States, India, Portugal, Romania, Cameroon, Benin Republic, Belgium, Canada, Togo, the Netherlands, Ghana, Wales, Egypt, Italy, Chile, Slovenia and host nation Nigeria are also expected to compete for honours in the five-day tournament.
Anders Lind (DENMARK)
Competitors will battle for a share of the $100,000 prize money as interest in the Lagos event continues to grow among elite and emerging players attracted by the atmosphere and hospitality associated with the tournament.
Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Adesoji Tayo, said the competition has become a major platform for showcasing top-class table tennis in Africa.
“We are excited to host this prestigious event, one that not only highlights elite table tennis in Africa and beyond but also underscores Nigeria’s growing influence on the global sporting stage. Coming on the heels of the centenary anniversary of table tennis in London, Lagos is proud to welcome athletes eager to compete with passion and precision,” Tayo said.
He added that Lagos was fully prepared to host another memorable edition of the tournament.
“Nigeria’s commercial hub is prepared to deliver an unforgettable experience filled with energy, culture, and top-tier table tennis. As one of the most popular tournaments on the WTT calendar, the Contender Lagos continues to raise the bar in organisation and hospitality, offering athletes and fans a truly unique atmosphere,” he stated.
This year’s edition will witness the return of former champions alongside several highly rated players, further boosting the status of the Lagos tournament on the international circuit.
The WTT Contender Series is designed to bridge the gap between grassroots development and elite tournaments such as WTT Champions, while also offering players the opportunity to earn valuable ITTF World Ranking points.
Events to be contested in Lagos include men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, as well as mixed doubles.
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