TheCable

Aruna Quadri and Funke Oshonaike have been included in Nigeria’s team for the 2021 African Senior Championships taking place next month in Yaounde, Cameroon.

The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) announced the final list in a statement shared with TheCable on Sunday.

The team — containing 12 players — is a balanced selection of six male and female players.

Aruna, who was shockingly ousted in the third round of the men’s singles at the just concluded Tokyo Olympics, will hope to redeem his image in Cameroon alongside Olajide Omotayo, Azeez Solanke, Taiwo Mati, Bode Abiodun, and 15-year-old Samuel Boboye, the national cadet champion.

Oshonaike, who recently became the first woman inducted into the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) “club seven”, will lead the women team alongside Offiong Edem, Fatima Bello, and Cecilia Otu-Akpan, Bose Odusanya, Lagos State champion; and Bukola Ajayi, national U-21 champion.

According to African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), the tournament will serve as a qualification for the 2021 ITTF World Championship scheduled for November in Houston, United States.

Over 20 countries have confirmed their participation in the African Senior Championships that will hold from September 1 to 7.