After months of preparation couple with confirmation of participants,
the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour, Lagos Open serves off on Tuesday March 10 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.
82 players drawn from 11 countries will compete in the $46,000 prize
money championship which a world is ranking event listed on the ITTF
World Tour calendar as a challenge series.
As the second challenge series after the Hungary Open early this year,
the tournament will once again bring to fore the fierce rivalry between
Nigeria and Egypt as the North African team has a 12-man contingent
competing in the six events jostling for at the championship.
Unlike the previous editions, where players are expected to compete
from the group stage to qualify for the next stage, this year’s will
witness a knock-out format, where players will only progress after
winning each match.
According to the ITTF-appointed Competition Manager, Mounir Bessah, the stage is set for the commencement of the competition as everything has been put in place by the host.
“I am satisfied with what I have seen so far and there is an
improvement from what I witnessed last year. I think the tournament is
improving each year and I am happy with the atmosphere coupled with the
kind of organization put in place. We are also hopeful that the players
will have an exciting time in Lagos. The equipment is off world standard
as it meets ITTF specifications while the hotel and logistics are also
perfect. I believe that the tournament will be more exciting this year
with the quality of players competing this year,” Bessah said.
An elated President, Africa Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled
El-Salhy believes Lagos Open has become a rally point for Africa with
the quality of organization as well as the presence of Lagos fans who
most times make the tournament very glamorous.
“I am looking forward to the huge support the players used to get from
the Lagos fans. I think this competition is unique because the fans are
always there for the players and this alone makes the tournament
different from every other in the continent. I must commend the efforts
of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) led by Wahid Oshodi for
their commitment and sincerity in igniting the love for the sport among
the fans and for us in ATTF, this is very important for our sport to
grow and get more sponsors,” the ATTF boss said.
However, ITTF Star Player, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has his first
training on Monday with the resolve to make his fans happy at the end of the competition.
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