Paris Olympics: Aruna, Omotayo get Romanian, Iranian opponents in first round

Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has been handed a familiar foe in Romania’s Eduard Ionescu while his compatriot. Olajide Omotayo has a tough duel against Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan in the first round of Men’s Singles in the table tennis competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The draw conducted on Wednesday, July 23 at the South Paris Arena and witnessed by coaches and team managers also handed Africa’s flagbearers, Egypt a big hurdle in the team and mixed doubles events.

Like Omotayo, Offiong Edem will lock horns against Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi while debutant Fatimo Bello will face a Herculean task against the Chinese-born French star Jia Nana Yuan in the first round of the Women’s Singles.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games mark a momentous occasion for table tennis: its 10th appearance as an Olympic sport, since its debut at Seoul 1988 in South Korea.

According to the head-to-head between Aruna and Romanian, both players have met once and that was during the semi-final of the European Champions League in which the Romanian defeated Aruna 3-2 and Paris 2024 will be their second meeting in any competition.

Like Aruna, Omotayo will face South-paw Iranian whose style most times confuses opponents and has also taken down some of the finest players in the world with his awkward style of play. Omotayo will have to be at his best if he hopes to win his first match at the Olympic Games.

It was a mixed fortune for other African stars at the draws as Egypt’s Omar Assar will face Madagascar’s debutant Fabio Rakotoarimanana while Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa will take on Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar.

Nigeria-born Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu will square up against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg, while the only African starting his campaign from the preliminary round of the Men’s Singles is Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw who will take on Nepal’s Santoo Shrestha.

In the Women’s Singles, African champion Dina Meshref of Egypt will face Spain’s Maria Xiao while her compatriot Hana Goda will confront returning nursing mother Britt Eerland of the Netherlands. Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi will take on world No. 2 Chen Meng of China.

Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou will start her quest for a place in the first round when she takes on Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill in the preliminary round of the Women’s Singles.

However, it was a tough task for Africa’s representatives in the team event as Egypt was handed Chinese Taipei and China in the first round of the Men and Women’s events.

Just like it is in the Team draws, Assar and Meshref will face World No. 1 Wang Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China in the first round of the Mixed Doubles event.

With the draw now complete, the table tennis world waits eagerly for July 27, when table tennis kicks off as the world’s best table tennis players are poised to deliver an unforgettable spectacle.