NAN
The National Table Tennis Coach, Nosiru Bello, on Wednesday said the country would perform credibly at the forthcoming International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Top 16 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the championships which will hold from March 1 to March 3 will feature top 16 players in men and women singles in Africa.
Bello told NAN that the players are well prepared for the task ahead and would do the country proud.
“Nigerians should be rest assured that our representatives are well experienced players who have seen it all as far as the ping pong game is concerned.
“They are presently training in their respective clubs in Europe,’’ he said.
He noted that the championships would also serve as a good avenue for the players to improve on themselves ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
“The Top 16 is coming at the right time and I strongly believe the athletes will take advantage of the event to sharpen their competitive edge,’’ he said.
NAN also reports that the Top 16 will serve as qualification for ITTF World Cups later in the year.
Aruna Quadri, Segun Toriola, Olufunke Oshonaike and Edem Offiong will be in action for the country at the three-day event.
Aruna and Dina Mesref of Eygpt won the 2016 Africa Top 16 men and women singles respectively in Khartoum, Sudan.
Aruna defeated Omar Assar in the men’s event, while Meshref defeated Offiong in the women finals.