Nigeria will miss the 2026 African Table Tennis Championships

For the first time in history, Nigeria will not feature at the African Table Tennis Championships, scheduled to be held later this year in Morocco.

The absence came as a direct consequence of the country’s failure to participate in the Western Conference Championships in Conakry, Guinea — an important qualifying event for the African championships.

The Nigerian quartet consisting of Matthew Kuti, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Favor Ojo and Khadijat Okanlawon have been scheduled to compete in Conakry.

However, their journey was halted due to financial constraints, as the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) struggled to meet mounting expenses, including the ongoing camp for junior players at Babcock College in Ogun State.

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Despite the setback, the federation managed to send four cadets – Umar Ayoola, Habeeb Adebayo, Emmanuella Shaibu, and Elizabeth Emenike – to Accra, Ghana, for the 2026 Africa Week & Challenge of Hope.

Additionally, the 16-member team led by Kuti and Ojo is expected to leave for Accra this weekend to compete in the 2026 African Youth Championship and Cup (BRF Cup).

NTTF President, Adesoji Tayo, expressed regret over Nigeria’s withdrawal from the Guinea tournament. He explained that despite efforts to secure the team’s participation, exorbitant flight costs and lack of support from the National Sports Commission (NSC) made the trip impossible.

“In the last two weeks, our young players have been in camp preparing for three events in Ghana and Guinea. With the support of our table tennis friends and Babcock University management, we provided a conducive environment to train and ensured that the cadet players headed to Ghana departed last weekend. Unfortunately, our request for NSC support for the trip to Guinea was unsuccessful, and the high price of air tickets forced us to withdraw. This competition is also a qualifier for the 2026 African Championships in Morocco,” he said.

Although Tayo assured that Nigeria would be represented at the African Youth Championship in Ghana, he acknowledged that missing out on the regional tournament in Guinea could have long-term consequences, especially for Nigeria’s prospects of qualifying for the 2027 World Championship.
He added that this setback would also damage Nigeria’s reputation as a table tennis power on the continent.