Sports

Preliminary round kick-starts WTT Contender Lagos

Quarter-finalist at the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) in Durban, South Africa, Anders Lind of Denmark and third round finisher in Durban Mihai Bobocica of Italy have been listed among the players that will slug it out in the preliminary round of the WTT Contender Lagos which serves off on Monday June 12 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The WTT Contender Lagos is the first WTT Series in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of the three WTT Contender events taking place in Africa this year following the successful staging of the WTT Contender Durban in South Africa while the WTT Contender Tunis will take place later this month in Tunisia.
Lind, who climbed 132 positions from World No.180 to World No.48 after a magical campaign in Durban in Week 22 of the ITTF World rankings is one of the stars to watch out for in the preliminary stage.
The Danish who broke two of his vertebrae in a serious car accident in March 2021, defied all the odds to make his return to the professional scene and proved a force to be reckoned with in Durban, rising above challenges from Portugal’s Joao Monteiro, Puerto Rico’s Brian Afanador, Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan and Korea’s Jang Woojin to become the first Danish player to reach the Men’s Singles quarter-finals since Michael Maze in 2009.
Also in the fray is Italian Bobocica who is returning to Lagos after his unsatisfactory experience in 2013 when he was beaten early in the now rested Lagos Table Tennis Classics also benefited from his third-round finish in Durban, where he rose from 93 to 81 in the world rating. He will also be aiming for a place in the main draw.
Already, 48 players made up 24 men and 24 women have already been listed in the main draw based on their world rating while the eight remaining slots to complete the 32-player main draw will be contested for in the preliminary round in the men and women singles events.
Lind and Bobocica will be joined by 52 others to contest for the eight slots in the men’s singles while 35 women from 14 countries will slug it out in the preliminary round for the eight available spots in the main draw of the women singles.
Host country Nigeria has the largest number of players in the preliminary as they are hoping to join the likes of Taiwo Mati, Olajide Omotayo, Fatimo Bello and Edem Offiong in the main draw following the absence of their talisman Quadri Aruna due to club engagement.
Also, the LOC Chairman, Wahid Oshodi, believes there would be a lot of surprises in the preliminary as well as the main draw.
“On the fans’ side, expect a fantastic tournament, great things to look forward to as some of the best players in the world, with different styles including some of the exciting players in the world will compete from the preliminary round,” Oshodi said.

ITTF hails Oshodi’s NOC appointment
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has hailed the appointment of its Executive Vice President Wahid Enitan Oshodi by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) as the chairman of Ethics and Good Governance Commission.
Oshodi who is an ITTF Executive Committee member in charge of Communications and Protocol, Governance, and World Ranking was appointed in a letter signed by the President of NOC, Engr Habu Gummel based on his wealth of experience.
ITTF through its President Petra Sorling acknowledged the immense contribution of Oshodi to ITTF since his election in 2021.
” Certainly, this appointment is an evidence of recognition of your wealth of experience and outstanding contribution to Nigerian Sports and the international table tennis community. This also reaffirms the decision we took in 2022 to assign you with the governance portfolio within the ITT Executive Board “, the statement signed by Sorling said.
Also, a member of the ITTF Board of Directors (BoD), and a former Secretary General of NOC, Olabanji Oladapo was appointed as the Chairman, Liaison Commission.
Oshodi who is also the Deputy President of ITTF Africa has described the appointment as an avenue for more work and responsibilities.

 

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