Table Tennis: Nigeria Fails To Participate In ITTF Africa Youth Championships Over Funding Issues

Nigeria has failed to feature in the ongoing 2024 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Youth Championships, which began on Monday, July 15 in Gaborone, Botswana due to lack of funds.

According to a press release made available to Completesports.com by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), the country’s failure to participate in the continental showpiece was due to a lack of support from the Federal Ministry of Sports Development.

Also Read: ‘I’ve Slept Many Years Dreaming Of Real Madrid’ –Mbappe

The statement added that the hopes of the teeming young players who had prepared for the competition were dashed after they could not feature in the competition.

“Following weeks of preparation, the players were informed that they would not be able to travel due to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) failing to secure necessary support from the Federal Ministry of Sports Development.” The statement reads.

The statement recalled that it took the intervention of a group called ‘Friends of Table Tennis’ to fund the country’s participation in the last edition held in Agadir, Morocco.

ITTF also added that despite securing the ticket to the ITTF World Youth championship last year, the team could not honour the event.

This year’s championships feature an increased number of participating nations compared to the 2023 edition. The participating countries include Botswana, Congo DRC, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Benin Republic, Guinea, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The seven-day continental championships serves as the African qualifiers for the 2024 ITTF World Youth Championships scheduled to take place in Helsingborg, Sweden, in November.