Lagos Ready to Welcome Africa’s Best Young Table Tennis Players for 2025 Championships
Lagos is getting ready to welcome over 150 young table tennis players from across Africa for the 2025 ITTF African Youth Championships. The big event will start on Sunday, 27 July, at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, located inside the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
At a press briefing on Sunday, ITTF Africa President Wahid Oshodi said the competition will show off the best young talents in African table tennis. He added that many of these players already have skills that match some of the top senior players on the continent.
“I’m very excited to see such talented young players. This group might be the most talented we’ve ever had. They are the future of African table tennis,” Oshodi said.
He also mentioned famous African players like Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar, saying that this new generation could follow in their footsteps. He praised Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh, now a national team coach, and said we can expect a great tournament with players like Tunisia’s Wassim Essid, who has played at a very high level.
ITTF Africa Deputy President Alfred Bagueka also praised Nigeria for doing a great job hosting the event. He said Nigeria is becoming well known for organising top-level table tennis competitions.
“Nigeria has shown it can host great events, like the West Regional tournament and the WTT Contender Lagos. The Lagos crowd and the excellent planning will make this a special tournament. President Oshodi has done a lot to bring these big events to Africa, and other countries should follow his example,” Bagueka said.
Menna Elzaabalawy, the Competition Manager, said players from more than 17 countries will take part. There will be over 150 players competing in 16 different events, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team events.
“Nigeria’s experience in hosting international events gives us confidence. Players will compete in Under-15 and Under-19 categories. Winners of the team events will qualify for the World Youth Championships in Romania later this year. Finalists in the singles events will also earn places at the WYC. This is the biggest youth table tennis event in Africa, and we expect exciting matches over the next seven days,” she said.
ITTF Africa COO Kweku Tandoh said this is a proud moment for Lagos, as it’s the first time the city is hosting the Youth Championships.
“This confirms Lagos as the centre of table tennis in Africa. After this event, we will also host the first-ever ITTF Africa Youth Cup, which could one day become a global competition,” he said.
Tunisia’s Wassim Essid, Africa’s number one U-19 player, said he is excited to be in Nigeria for the first time and is ready to defend his title.
“I’m really happy to be here and can’t wait to play. The Lagos fans are full of energy and make this a great place to compete,” he said.
Nigerian players Tobi Adebakin and Favour Ojo also shared their excitement, saying they are ready for tough matches against strong teams from countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Uganda.
