Table tennis quartet Taiwo Mati, Muiz Adegoke, Mustapha Mustapha and Samuel Boboye will play no part in this month’s World Youth Championships.
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation officially wrote to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to formally state its decision to withdraw the boys’ team from their planned championship due to a lack of funds.
The ITTF expressed its regret at the situation, noting that not only the Nigerian players, but also their coaches and officials would be affected by this disappointingly necessary decision.
The Nigerian team had shown a great deal of promise and have worked hard in recent years, with several members making it through qualification rounds to compete in professional tournaments.
This is not just a huge setback for the federation and participants, but also serves as a reminder that financing can be an obstacle for aspiring athletes, no matter their talent or level of competition.
As part of this news story, our correspondent suggested ways for the Nigerian government to look into potential solutions to ensure those passionate about table tennis continue with their dreams despite paucity of funds.
These include providing more financial support towards squads so they can attend prestigious events like championships.
Introducing sponsorships from private organizations; creating partnerships between sport federations, businesses, and educational institutions.
Or creating health insurance schemes for registered sports athletes sponsored by federal agencies responsible for sport activities in order to give them access to required medical care as well as ensure better training conditions at lower costs.
Ultimately, we hope that through these measures, more Nigerian players can achieve success both internationally and on home soil in future competitions!
The tournaments will serve off in Tunisia from December 4 to 11.
This move comes after Nigeria missed out on the 2022 ITTF World Championships in Chengdu, China last September.
Our correspondent learnt that the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation officially wrote to the International Table Tennis Federation about its decision to withdraw the boys’ team from the championships due to paucity of funds.
