At 63, Taofik Maya fondly recalls his victory over Sawo Aiyemojuba to become the Men’s Singles champion at the 1996 Molade Okoya-Thomas Table Tennis Championships, describing it as the pinnacle of his illustrious career.

Meanwhile, national men’s champions Matthew Muti and Sukurat Aiyelabegan have been named the top seeds in the Men’s and Women’s Singles categories for the 56th edition of Africa’s longest-running table tennis tournament.

Maya, now a head coach with Oyo State, expressed his delight at the decision by the family of the late Molade Okoya-Thomas to elevate the tournament to a national event.

“Most of us who represented Nigeria cannot forget the tournament’s impact on our careers.

“Back then, it was like the Olympic Games of table tennis, featuring legends like Atanda Musa, the late Yomi Bankole, and Wole Orukotan.

“I started competing as a cadet player in the 1980s, and after participating in the tournament, I made the Lagos State team for the Bendel 1981 National Sports Festival, which I won.

“From that year, I competed in several editions of the championships, which were dominated by Musa and Bankole.

“In 1996, with Musa having left the country, I defeated Bankole in the semifinal and then beat Aiyemojuba in the final to win the senior title for the first time.

“Making it a national tournament now is a welcome development, and I believe it will help the players and enhance the quality of the competition with the best players in the country taking part,” Maya enthused.

As the 56th edition of the tournament enters day 3 on Wednesday, January 29, Kuti of Lagos has been listed as the No. 1 seed in the Men’s Singles.

 He will compete alongside River’s Jamiu Ayanwale, Kwara’s Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Edo’s Amadi Omeh, and defending champion Muiz Adegoke of Lagos.

In the absence of national women’s singles champion Hope Udoaka of Cross River, Kwara’s Aiyelabegan has been named the top seed.

She will vie for the top prize against Kabirat Ayoola of Lagos, Aminat Fashola of NSCDC, and 9-time champion Bose Odusanya.

The preliminary rounds of the deaf and para events concluded on Tuesday, January 28, with Paris 2024 Paralympics medallist Isau Ogunkunle still in the race for the title, dominating his matches.

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Paralympians Isau Ogunkunle and Faith Obazuaye top the list of participants at the 56th Molade Okoya-Thomas National Table Tennis Championship, which kicks off on Monday, January 27, in Lagos.

Regarded as the longest-running table tennis tournament in Africa, having started in 1968, the tournament will, for the first time, be played nationally. Players from 21 states and 67 clubs will compete for honours in 13 events.

Africa’s sole medalist at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Ogunkunle, will lead the Ogun State contingent to the six-day tournament as he aims to become the first player in class 1 to 5 to win the Men’s Singles title.

Additionally, two-time Paralympian and Commonwealth Games medalist, Obazuaye, will travel from Benin City, Edo State, to compete in what promises to be a gathering of the best in the Women’s Class 6 to 10 para event.

More than 350 players from across the country will descend on Lagos to compete for the improved prize purse at stake. This competition continues to produce some of Nigeria’s finest table tennis players.

A confident Ogunkunle believes that making the tournament national will allow para players to test their skills against one another. He expressed optimism about his chances of claiming the national title. “We have a lot of players already confirmed for the tournament, and this is a good development for us as para players, as the best players in the country are in Lagos. I must commend the family of Okoya-Thomas for opening up the tournament for us. This is another platform for us to showcase our talents and assess ourselves as players,” he said.

Tournament referee John Peters noted that the turnout is the highest in the history of any national tournament. “I am excited about the turnout this year, as the tournament has become a national event. I am particularly overwhelmed by the number of participants, and this will surely allow the national handlers to scout for a new set of players who will be groomed to become world beaters. It promises to be exciting, considering the quality of players and the turnout for the championships,” he said.

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Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna continues his impressive run at the 2025 WTT Star Contender Doha, setting up a semifinal clash against the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan.

Aruna secured his third win at the tournament by defeating Korea’s Park Ganghyeon in an explosive quarterfinal match at the Lusail Arena in Doha.

Earlier on Friday, January 10, the second highest-ranked African player in the world avenged his previous losses to Spain’s Alvaro Robles with a hard-fought 3-2 victory.

In the quarterfinal match, Aruna showcased a dominant performance against the Korean qualifier, who had previously eliminated German top seed Patrick Franciska in the second round.

Aruna took control from the start, winning the first game 11-9 and the second game 11-8. Although Park fought back to win the third game 11-4, Aruna regained his composure and clinched the fourth game 11-9, securing a 3-1 victory and advancing to the semifinals.

Aruna remains the only male African player to reach the semifinal stage of the WTT Star Contender, replicating his achievement from the 2022 edition.

He will now face a familiar opponent in Japanese sensation Harimoto; while their last encounter at the WTT Champions Frankfurt in Germany, ended in Aruna’s favour, Harimoto will be seeking revenge when they meet on Saturday, January 11.