Chinese Taipei, Italy, Tunisia, Others For Lagos International Table Tennis Classics

 

 

 

 

 

The quality of teams as well as players confirming their participation  for the first Lagos International Table Tennis Classics has continued to  swell, as Chinese Taipei, Italy, Tunisia, Congo Brazzaville, Congo DRC,
Ghana and a host of others will be in Lagos from August 26 to 31 for the  championship.

 

Chinese Taipei’s duo of Lin Chia-Hui and Chiang Hung-Chieh joined the  league to top players, while Italy’s national champion, Mihai Bobocica  is also expected to take part in the competition.

Chia-Hui and Hung-Chieh will compete in the women and men singles
event as well as the mixed doubles.

 

 Hung-Chieh is Chinese Taipei national player rated 62 in  Asia and he is a former World University Champion who enjoyed a  successful career at the youth categories, winning several ITTF World
Junior Circuits. 

 

The offensive right-handed player recorded some  excellent results at the last World Championships in France, defeating  top seeds like Kim Hyok Bong of North Korea and Lee Sangsu of South

Korea.

 

Bobocica is a Romanian-born Italian player who competed at the 2008  and 2012 Olympic Games in China and London. He is ranked 89 in the world  and he is Italy’s number one player ranked 33 in Europe.
 

Tunisia Table Tennis Association Technical Director, Ghazi Belkahia  confirmed the participation of Adam Hmam and Abderrazek Souabni, while  current African women champion, Congo Brazzaville’s Chinese-born Han  Xing will also be part of the championship.

 

Also in the colour of Congo Brazzaville, Nigerian-born Saka Suraju  will be in Lagos.

 

The Secretary General of Cote d’Ivoire Table Tennis Association,  Kouadjo Yao Thiery listed the duo of Ali Kanate and Oba Oba Kizito for  the championship.

 

Also Congo DRC has listed 10 players and three officials for the  tournament with the team competing in the junior and senior events.

 

According to Competition Manager, John Peters, the presence of top  players across the globe would surely bring back the golden era of the  game in Nigeria.

 

An excited Peters said he was particularly impressed that players  across Africa have also signified their interest to be part of the  tournament, adding that this goes to show that the players recognized  the role Nigeria plays in the world.

 

“In the golden era of table tennis when we had competitions like the Bournvita Open, players used to come from China, Japan, England among  others to participate in such tournament in Nigeria and with the  interest shown by the players across the globe to be part of the  classics, it means that the era is returning especially for the  development of the game.

 

Our players will be able to learn from the foreigners and this will also afford them the opportunity to test might  with their foreign opponents. For us in Nigeria, this is indeed  beginning of good things to come in table tennis,” Peters said.

 

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)-certified blue badge  umpire spoke glowingly on the participation of current African champion,  Egypt’s Omar Assar, whom he described as a good example of a junior  player that rose through the rank to dominate the game in Africa.

 

 “I am indeed happy that Egypt’s Assar has expressed his intention to  be part of the championship. This is a plus to the tournament and for  most Nigerian players, it will afford them the opportunity to play and  learn Assar, who as a junior player won the All Africa Games in 2011. 

 

He  is a good example of youth development and I believe Nigerian players  will surely face a tough challenge against the young Egyptian,” he  added.
 

The Lagos Classics is an ITTF/ ATTF-approved tournament and it is the  highest prize money table tennis tournament in the continent.

 

The Main Organising Committee of Lagos International Sports Classics in collaboration with the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF)  organizes it.
 

Players will compete in the senior and junior categories made up of 10 events, while the tournament will be staged according to ITTF and  ATTF rules.

 

Deadline for players’ entry has been fixed for August 13, while  qualifying matches in all events for Nigerian-based players hold on  August 22 to 23 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun
Stadium in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos.