Nigeria, Egypt renew table tennis rivalry in Ethiopia

• Published On: 18 September 2024 at 18:05

The fierce rivalry between Africa's top table tennis nations, Nigeria and Egypt, will be reignited at the 2024 ITTF African Championships in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, from October 12-19.

The tournament, which serves as qualifiers for the 2024 ITTF Mixed Team Cup in China and the 2025 World Championships in Qatar, will feature top teams and regional champions competing in two team events and five individual events: men's teams, women's teams, men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Returning to Ethiopia after 24 years, the Local Organising Committee promises an exciting competition, with reigning champions Egypt facing fierce competition from archrival Nigeria, as well as strong contenders Tunisia and Algeria.

Khaled El-Salhy, President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), expressed confidence in Ethiopia's preparations, citing the successful hosting of the Eastern Regional Championships in 2023.

"We awarded the hosting right to Ethiopia after their presentation at the last AGM in Tunisia as well as the successful staging of the Eastern Regional Championships in 2023 which gave us a perfect indication that they deserve to get the host of the 2024 ITTF-African Championships especially that they have not hosted any African major events in Addis Ababa since 2000," the chairman stated.

"We believe the Ethiopia Table Tennis Federation has the experience to ensure a smooth and seamless tournament," according to him.

"The level of competition will be high as players vie for qualification to the 2025 World Championships in Doha, Qatar."