For five days, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, Lagos will be on the world map as the WTT Contender Lagos serves off at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.
The tournament, which has continued to attract quality players across the globe is the first WTT Series in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the most exciting Contender events in the WTT calendar will witness the convergent of players from India, South Korea, Germany, China, Cameroon, Egypt, Benin Republic, Ghana, Algeria, Denmark, and a host of others.
According to the Event Director, Kweku Tandoh, what started in 2013 has metamorphosed into a global tournament that has continued to put Lagos on the table tennis world map.
“This is the second WTT Contender Lagos Series but to get here, we started in 2013 as the Lagos International Table Tennis Classics that ran for about two years, and after the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) recognized and approved the event, it became ITTF Nigeria Open which ran for another 5 or 6 years.
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“The only year we didn’t hold the event was during the Covid-19 era and by the grace of God, we get to the level of WTT Contender which is the series of events organized by the ITTF. One other thing we need to realize is that this tournament is coming weeks before the Olympics. So, it serves as a good preparation for many of the players that are coming.
“A lot of international players have included the tournament as part of their training program. We look forward to an exciting tournament Table Tennis and we want to invite everyone to be part of it,” Tandoh said.
In his remarks, the LOC Chairman and ITTF Vice President, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, said the uniqueness of the tournament distinguished it from others across the globe.
“This is Lagos and like I always tell you, it’s different not because we have the greatest hall in the world but what we have is the greatest fans in the world. I would like to say thank you to the fans and a big thank you to the media because they tell the world what we are doing.
“They’ve been supportive over the year, especially in the last 12 to 13 years that we’ve been doing this. As the Vice President of ITTF, l climbed on their back over the years and I must say a very big thank you to them.
For Bryce Goh, the WTT Event and Experience Manager, the tournament would afford young players to rub shoulders with the world’s best.
“I’m looking forward to a great tournament and I say a big thank you, not just to the organizing committee but to everyone who contributed to this great tournament because the event would not be a success without everyone.
“This tournament also serves as an opportunity for young players in Nigeria to present themselves to the World stage for them to take a step up to the next level. I’m happy to see a lot of Nigerian players who are taking part in the competition,” the LOC Chairman said.
The 2024 WTT Contender Lagos is poised to be a spectacular event, and will feature appearances from esteemed ‘King of Africa’, Aruna Quadri.
Joining him is a stellar lineup featuring top seed Hugo Calderano, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, and Shin Yubin, among others.
