Aruna, who made history as the first African to reach the quarterfinals of the table tennis event at the Olympic Games, currently holds the 19th world ranking, while Assar, who is the second African to reach the quarterfinals, is rated 22nd in the world.

The official seedings for the Games will be based on the 16th July ITTF World Rankings, revealing potential matchups that promise excitement for fans. The two African stars will be among the top seeds and are expected to kick off their campaign from the second round (round of 64) of the tournament on 28th July at the South Paris Arena.

All eyes will be on Aruna and Assar, with the Nigerian making his fourth Olympic Games appearance as he contends for a podium finish in Paris. Egypt’s Assar, who matched Aruna’s quarterfinal record at Tokyo 2020, is another player to watch out for in Paris. Assar joins Mohamed El-Beiali as Egypt’s representatives in the Men’s Singles. Meanwhile, Dina Meshref and Hana Goda will compete in the Women’s Singles event.

For the team event, the African champions have selected Youssef Abdel-Aziz to join Assar and El-Beiali in the men’s squad. Mariam Alhodaby will team up with Meshref and Goda for the women’s team event in Paris. Meshref and Assar will also compete in the Mixed Doubles event, which makes its second appearance in Paris after debuting at Tokyo 2020.

Joining Aruna in the Men’s Singles event is his compatriot, Olajide Omotayo. Other African players include Mehdi Bouloussa of Algeria and Ibrahima Diaw of Senegal. Madagascar‘s Fabio Rakotoarimanana will make history as the first player from the island nation to compete in the table tennis event at the Olympic Games. Saheed Idowu of Congo Brazzaville secured a Tripartite Invitation to participate in Paris.

In the Women’s Singles, Nigeria’s duo of Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello, along with Cameroon‘s Sarah Hanffou and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi, complete the continent’s contingent in Paris.

The 10th Olympic appearance of table tennis promises an exciting blend of experience and youthful exuberance. The recent heroics of the French team, including the men’s team’s silver medal and the women’s team’s bronze at the ITTF World Championships Finals Busan 2024, have ignited anticipation in Paris.

The rise of young stars like the Lebrun brothers (Félix and Alexis) and Prithika Pavade has captivated the Parisian imagination. Fans eagerly await their hometown heroes’ pursuit of Olympic glory on home soil.

Beyond French flair, legendary player Ma Long of China bids farewell to the Olympics after Paris, and India makes its debut in the team events. A new Men’s Singles champion will emerge, while the Women’s Singles features a potential clash of titans as China’s Chen Meng defends her crown against top seed and compatriot Sun Yingsha.

Lastly, all eyes turn to Timo Boll, the iconic German player concluding his glittering 20-year career in the sport.

The post Aruna, Assar among top table tennis seeds for Paris 2024 Olympic Games appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

Captain Rasheedat Ajibade of Atletico Madrid, Paris FC goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender Osinachi Ohale, and forward Asisat Oshoala are among the players listed to represent the country at the Summer Olympics for the first time since 2008 in China.

Goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi is the only player who participated in the Beijing Games that made the list, but all-time appearance record holder Onome Ebi, who was also part of the team for the last Olympics, missed out on the chance to represent the country for the 15th major tournament.

Omorinsola Babajide, Ashleigh Plumptre, Rofiat Imuran, Esther Onyenezide, Peace Efih, Opeyemi Ajakaye, and Francisca Ordega are also part of the notable exclusions from the squad list.

The trimming down of the squad was expected as teams were required to register a squad of 18 players instead of the regular 23 for the Women’s World Cup or 26 for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Albeit, the teams were given the chance to name an additional four alternate players, which will contain three outfielders and one goalkeeper, and in the event of a serious injury during the tournament, an injured player would be able to be replaced by one of the players on the alternate list.

Rivers Angels’ shot-stopper Morufat Ademola, who was recently awarded the best goalkeeper in the NWFL 2023/2024 Super 6, was picked as the alternate goalkeeper, while 18-year-old defender Jumoke Alani joined her as the only two locally based players in the entire team.

They are scheduled to depart Sevilla, Spain, for a two-week preparatory journey on Thursday, 4 July, and depart for France on 18 July to tackle Brazil, Spain, and Japan in Group C of this year’s tournament.

Their first game, against Brazil, comes up at the Stade Bordeaux on 25 July, before confrontations with Spain (28 July) and Japan (31 July) both at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes.

Super Falcons Full Squad for Paris 2024 Olympics

Goalkeepers:
– Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC)
– Tochukwu Oluehi (Shualat Alsharqia FC, Saudi Arabia)

Defenders:
– Osinachi Ohale (Pachucha Club de Futbol, Mexico)
– Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France)
– Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA)
– Nicole Payne (Portland Thorns FC, USA)
– Chidinma Okeke (Mynavi Sendai Ladies, Japan)

Midfielders:
– Deborah Abiodun (University of Pittsburgh, USA)
– Halimatu Ayinde (FC Rosengard, Sweden)
– Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal)
– Jennifer Echegini (Juventus Ladies, Italy)
– Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain)

Forwards:
– Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid FC, Spain)
– Esther Okoronkwo (Changchun FC, China)
– Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC, USA)
– Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville, USA)
– Chiwendu Ihezuo (Pachucha Club de Futbol, Mexico)
– Chinonyerem Macleans (Locomotiv Moscow, Russia)

Alternate Players:
– Jumoke Alani (Nasarawa Amazons)
– Ifeoma Onumonu (Utah Royals, USA)
– Gift Monday (Coasta Adeje Tenerife Egatesa, Spain)
– Morufa Ademola (Rivers Angels)

The post Paris 2024: Nigeria names final squad for Women’s Olympic Football as Ebi, Ordega omitted appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

According to the IOC, this move aims to shine a spotlight on the 36 inspirational athletes who have faced incredible challenges to reach their start line, and calls on everyone to get behind the team when they represent the over 100 million displaced people on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

The campaign begins with a graphic-novel-style short film that introduces the formidable sporting talents and unique personal stories of Refugee Olympic Team athletes, including Cindy Ngamba (boxing), Dorsa Yavarivafa (badminton) and Ramiro Mora (weightlifting), and Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder Kavan Majidi (judo), whilst also drawing attention to the shocking scale of the global refugee crisis.

When the team made its debut at Rio 2016, there were close to 60 million displaced people globally. On the eve of Paris 2024, that number has now soared to well over 100 million and is still rising – that’s around 1 in 70 people living on our planet (UNHCR, 2023). Putting all the forcibly displaced people in one place would create the 14th most populous country in the world – and that population is increasing all the time.

Cindy Ngamba, boxing, Refugee Olympic Team, said: “Qualifying for the Olympic Games – that means everything to me. Each member of the Refugee Olympic Team has different backgrounds and life experiences, but sport unites us – we’re a family and we’re going to go out there, support each other, and show the world what we are can do.”

The film was crafted utilising cutting-edge AI technology. An integral aspect of the film’s production was the engagement of contributors affiliated with the refugee community, such as illustrator and author Engy Jarrouj, a refugee from Syria at creative studio Framestore. The film also features an original piece of music produced by recording artists Che Lingo and Manon Dave.

The film is part of a broader initiative that gives the team its own unique identity, nodding to the design of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team emblem – a unifying symbol bringing together diverse athletes. The emblem features arrow markers, signifying the shared experience of their journeys, and a heart – originating from the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) logo, to represent the belonging the team hopes to inspire and that athletes and displaced people around the world have found through sport.

Ramiro Mora, Refugee Olympic Team, weightlifting, said: “I will be so proud stepping out wearing the Refugee Olympic Team emblem. To represent myself, my journey, but also the thousands of people who find themselves in similar circumstances as I did. I hope seeing us walk out at Paris 2024 will bring hope and inspiration to people everywhere”.

Founded by the IOC for the Olympic Games Rio 2016, to ensure that all athletes, no matter their circumstances, have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games, the Refugee Olympic Team is managed by the ORF. Appearing at the Olympic Games for the third time, the Refugee Olympic Team will represent the over 100 million displaced people around the world and aims to be a symbol of inclusion and inspiration for everyone affected by displacement.

The Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 was announced on 2 May, and is made up of 36 athletes, hosted by 15 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), competing across 12 sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, sport shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling. The composition of the team is based on several criteria including, first and foremost, each athlete’s sports performance, and their host country refugee status as verified by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Consideration has also been given to a balanced representation of sport and gender, as well as the spread of countries of origin. Read more about each athlete here.

“1 in 100 Million” hopes to mobilise global support for the Refugee Olympic Team, encouraging fans to follow the athletes’ journey through @RefugeeOlympicTeam and show their support on social media with #ForThe100Million.

The ‘1 in 100 million’ film was directed by William Bartlett at Academy Award-winning animation and visual effects studio Framestore and produced by the IOC in collaboration with creative agency Gravity Road.

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The newly unveiled pictograms illustrate each of the Olympic and Paralympic sports in a unique coat of arms, paying homage to the complexity of each of these sports and what makes them original.

Each of the 62  Paris  2024 pictograms is a rallying cry and a symbol; a standard that will ignite fans’ pride during the world’s largest sporting event.

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