By Aishat Ajao
Nigeria has failed to partake in the ongoing 2024 International Table Tennis Federation ,ITTF, Africa Youth Championships, which began in Gaborone, Botswana due to lack of funds.
Nigeria Table Tennis Federation , NTTF, stated that the country’s failure to feature in the continental showpiece was due to a lack of support from the Federal Ministry of Sports Development.
According to reports, the players were informed that they would not be able to travel due to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation failing to secure necessary support from the Federal Ministry of Sports Development.
The young players who had high hopes coupled with weeks of preparation for the competition were dashed after they could not feature in the competition. Despite securing the ticket to the ITTF World Youth championship last year, the team could still not honour the event.
This year’s championships feature an increased number of participating nations compared to the 2023 edition. The participating countries include Botswana, Congo DRC, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Benin Republic, Guinea, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.