By Monica Iheakam
Africa’s top tennis star, Aruna Quadri has been listed for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championship finals 2032, billed for Durban, South Africa.
Also listed to participate in the championship is another Nigerian, Bode Abiodun ranked 131 in the world with 135 points.
The much-anticipated event, which will take place from May 20 to 28, 2023 will see players from around the world compete for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.
According to the list unveiled yesterday by ITTF, the flagship event, which is set to take place at the Durban International Convention Centre, will feature 128 players in singles (Men and Women) and 64 pairs in each of the doubles competitions (Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles) competing in a straight knockout format with 2,000 World Ranking points for the champions. The top players in the world will be in attendance, including, Fan Zhendong, Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin, Wang Manyu, Tomokazu Harimoto, Chen Meng, Ma Long, Mima Ito, Hugo Calderano and Wang Yidi.
However, the spotlight is not only on the established stars. This year’s event is an especially significant one for the African continent as it marks the return of the championship to Africa after 84 years. The last time the event was held in Africa was in Cairo, Egypt, in 1939.
The ITTF World Championships will provide an opportunity for the home fans to witness the top and rising stars of the continent, such as Quadri Aruna, Dina Meshref, Omar Assar, and Hana Goda, who will be hoping to make a mark on the world stage. Their presence in this prestigious event is a testament to the growing popularity of table tennis in Africa.
Reigning champions, Fan Zhendong and Wang Manyu will be looking to defend their titles, but the new men’s world number two, Wang Chuqin and women’s world number one, Sun Yingsha will be sure to give a good fight for the title.