By Flinster Austin
Published on 2024-02-15 02:17:28
Nigeria’s most well-known table tennis player, Segun Toriola, has been selected to lead the Nigerian contingent at the 2024 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) in Busan, South Korea. The tournament will take place from February 16 to 25 and will also serve as a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. According to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Toriola was chosen due to his extensive experience and strong relationships with many of the top players on the national team. The federation also cited the retirement of former national coach, Nosiru Sule, last year, as a reason for Toriola to step up and lead the teams to the WTTC.
Toriola is widely recognized for his success in Nigerian and African table tennis, having won numerous African titles and participating in seven Olympic Games. At the Busan 2024 WTTC, the Nigerian men’s team has been placed in Group 8 alongside Japan, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, and Madagascar. The tournament features eight groups of five countries, each vying for a spot in the knockout rounds.
The African champions, Egypt, will compete against Portugal, Romania, Iran, and Thailand. Meanwhile, Algeria will face off against France, Australia, Denmark, and Austria. The Nigerian women’s team is grouped with Germany, Slovakia, Poland, and Mexico, while the Egyptian women’s team will take on France, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Croatia in Group 8. Additionally, Algeria’s women will compete against Chinese Taipei, the U.S., Thailand, and Chile, and the South African women will face Japan, Brazil, Luxembourg, and Iran in Group 2.
China, the defending WTTC champions, hold the top-seeded positions in both the men’s and women’s team events, with the country’s women’s team placed in Group 1 alongside Hungary, India, Spain, and Uzbekistan. In the tournament, each group will compete in a round-robin format, with each team playing against the other four teams in their group. After the round-robin stage, the top three teams from each group will advance to the knockout phase, with the top eight teams from the tournament earning automatic tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Nigerian delegation is hopeful for an improved performance and the opportunity to secure Olympic tickets for both the men’s and women’s events. In 2023, Nigeria missed out on the continent’s sole Olympic ticket after losing in both gender categories to Egypt at the African Championships in Tunis. With this upcoming WTTC, Nigeria aims to make a strong showing and secure a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Under the leadership of Segun Toriola, the Nigerian contingent looks forward to making an impact at the prestigious event in Busan, South Korea.
