In a press release made available to Made In Africa Sport, this landmark event will be the largest para table tennis competition in the city, reinforcing the organiser’s dedication to promoting inclusivity in sports.

The competition will feature 32 top-tier para-athletes—16 men and 16 women—competing in a knockout format, culminating in the crowning of the top three players in both categories.

DunsinSports Para Table Tennis Tournament
Join us in July 2025 for the largest para table tennis event in the city of Lagos!

32 athletes (16 men, 16 women) will compete for the top spots in a knockout format. #ParaTableTennis #SportsForAll pic.twitter.com/2jOyTHG6zM

— Dunsin Sports (@dunsinsports) January 31, 2025

This event aims to showcase the talent of para-athletes and raise awareness of the importance of accessible and adaptive sports for all.

“DunsinSports is calling on well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations, and stakeholders to partner with us in advancing the cause of sports inclusivity. Your support will go a long way in providing necessary resources, enhancing visibility, and fostering an enabling environment for para-athletes to thrive.” the statement reads.

DunsinSports is an organisation dedicated to promoting the development of PWDs in sports, ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, has access to the transformative power of sports.

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(ATTF Media) – Nigeria’s Wahid Enitan Oshodi has been unanimously elected as the 6th President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) during the Elective Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the African Union (AU) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Oshodi becomes the second Nigerian to lead the continental body, following Engr. Segun George, who served from 1988 to 1996.

Oshodi, currently the Executive Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), will succeed Egypt’s Khaled El-Salhy, who completed three terms (2010-2024) as ATTF President.

https://twitter.com/phatill/status/1846169919110459795?s=46

The 40-member electorate’s unanimous support for Oshodi reflects overwhelming delegate confidence in his leadership for the next four years. With this election, Oshodi stands as the only Nigerian heading a continental sports organisation.

Cameroon‘s Alfred Bagueka was also unanimously elected as the Deputy President of the ATTF. Additionally, Germain Karou and Andrew Mudibo were elected as Executive Vice Presidents (EVPs) for Technical and Development, respectively.

The positions for EVP Administration, Finance, Media/PR, and Marketing saw keen competition among candidates from Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mauritania, and Uganda. For EVP Marketing, Ghana‘s Mawuko Afadzinu triumphed over Uganda’s Robert Jjagwe with 22 votes to 18.

Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Bizane won EVP Media/PR with 29 votes. South Africa’s Hajera Kajee secured EVP Finance with 20 votes, and Egypt’s Moataz Ashour won EVP Administration with 32 votes.

The Regional Vice Presidents elected include Benin Republic’s Ferdinand Sounou (West), Congo’s Christian Wonga (Central), Libya’s Gallel Amadeddin (North), South Africa’s Joe Carrim (South), and Djibouti‘s Mohmoud Omir (East).

From the 15 candidates that contested for the ITTF Council, outgoing ATTF President Khaled El-Salhy joined seven others to secure continental tickets to the world body.

Joining El-Salhy in the eight-member council are Nigeria’s Olabanji Oladapo, Botswana’s Kudzanani Motswagole, Benin Republic’s Ferdinand Sounou, Cameroon’s Alfred Bagueka, South Africa’s Joe Carrim, Tunisia‘s Jalem Zayati, and Uganda’s Thomas Kiggundu.

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In the 2023 edition held in Agadir, Morocco, the Nigerian contingent competed with support from Friends of Table Tennis, who funded their trip. However, despite qualifying for the 2023 ITTF World Youth Championships, the team could not attend after the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) failed to secure necessary support from the Federal Ministry of Sports Development.

Botswana is hosting the continent’s top young players for the first time in African table tennis history. The championships, which began on Monday, July 15, are taking place at Botho University Hall in Gaborone.

We're well at home at the Botho University in Gaborone. #ITTFAYC24 pic.twitter.com/EIRJuynoXN

— ITTF-Africa (@ITTFAfrica) July 16, 2024

Motswagole Kudzanani, President of the Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA), emphasized that hosting the tournament would lead to overall improvement for table tennis in the region. He said, “Hosting provides a platform to build our capacity and expose our athletes to international standards. It also increases our brand visibility, showcases our capabilities, and helps us identify areas for growth.”

This year’s championships feature a greater number of participating nations compared to the 2023 edition. Participating countries include Botswana, Congo DRC, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Benin Republic, Guinea, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Additionally, the seven-day continental championships serve as African qualifiers for the 2024 ITTF World Youth Championships scheduled for November in Helsingborg, Sweden.

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Also, Aruna’s quest to garner more points ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France has pitted him against home-boy Frane Kojic in the first round of the men’s singles at the 2024 WTT Contender Zagreb taking place in Serbia.

Aruna, who started his rise in the ranking in Week 22 after his round of 16 finish at the Saudi Smash last month, had his appeal accepted by the ITTF Executive Board for his World Table Tennis Championships points to be restored, prompting his movement to 16th place in the latest ranking.

However, Aruna awaits formal confirmation from ITTF for his qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on 11 June when the world ranking will be used to determine the final list of players who will join the flight to France’s most populous city, Paris, next month.

Meanwhile, Spain’s Alvaro Robles has become the biggest mover in the ITTF ranking as the Spaniard achieved another career-high ranking. It has been over six years since Robles scored a career-high ranking, starting 2018 at No.37 in the world, and had never been as high since. But with the latest rating, Robles jumped 15 places up the ladder to No.32, shaving five places off his previous record.

This is a phenomenal testament to the stalwart’s commitment to the sport and his recent form, as the 33-year-old has reached the final of two WTT events in 2024, including last week’s WTT Contender Mendoza. Although he lost out on the title in a thrilling seven-game duel with Benedikt Duda of Germany, the new career-high ranking will add further fuel to Robles’ fire to go even higher.

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The 41-year-old is the first Indian table tennis player ever to become a 10-time Indian national champion, breaking the record of eight-time national champion Kamlesh Mehta.

Considered one of the most flamboyant Indian athletes, Achanta is eagerly looking forward to the tournament as part of his preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The highest-ranked Indian male player in the world, rated 40th, was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 2019. In 2022, he was awarded the Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour. He will be joined on the Lagos trip by 2023 WTT Contender Lagos semifinalist Harmeet Desai, as well as Manav Thakkar and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the men’s singles.

The women’s squad will be spearheaded by Manika Batra, the top female table tennis player in India, ranked 24th in the world. Batra will also have her compatriot, Sreeja Akula, as an integral member of the Indian team that qualified for the Olympic Games at the 2024 World Team Championships in Busan, South Korea.

Akula, who is a familiar face in Lagos, will be accompanied by compatriots Yashaswini Ghorpade, Archana Kamath, and Sutirtha Mukherjee, all heading to the commercial nerve centre for a podium finish.

It is all about title defence for South Korean Shin Yubin, who topped the podium in 2023. Yubin spearheads the lineup in this year’s edition.

Lagos was one of two WTT Series wins for the World No. 7 in 2023, and with her 2024 account currently empty, a repeat of history in Nigeria is what the Korean is yearning for.

However, India’s Batra could pose the biggest threat to Yubin’s title defence in Lagos. Like Batra, Akula is in red-hot form, having already claimed two WTT Feeder Series events this year.

The chance to make a rapid ascent and claim a WTT Series title will not be squandered by the World No. 41 as she looks to continue her rise in the global rankings.

Lagos offers a rich cultural scene, with opportunities to explore the National Museum, visit the iconic Eko Atlantic City, and enjoy the lively nightlife of Victoria Island. For outdoor enthusiasts, the nearby beaches of Tarkwa Bay and Lekki Conservation Centre provide a relaxing escape from the city’s bustle. Indulge in the local cuisine, a flavourful fusion of African and international influences, and soak up the rhythm and energy of the Lagos community.

WTT Contender Lagos 2024 offers a total prize pool of $80,000 as well as 400 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking Points for the champions.

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Mudirakat Ismail from Ilorin East Local Government and Abdulsalam Yusuf from Ifelodun Local Government both emerged winners in the female and male category, respectively. At the same time, the duo of John Adefila and Ayomide Adeoti from Oke-Ero Local Government were victorious in the mixed doubles category.

Speaking through a representative at the closing ceremony of the fourth edition of the event, Kwara state First Lady, Ambassador Dr. Olufolake Abdulrazak pledged to continue to support the efforts by individuals and groups aimed at empowering and engaging youths through sports.

The chairman of the organising committee, Prince Adebayo reiterated how the First Lady’s decision to organise competitions of this nature has been a positive addition to grassroots sports.

He said, “Mummy Olufolake catch them young. The 2021 and 2022 editions inaugurated and distributed standard table tennis boards to each of the sixteen local government areas. The wife of the Chief Executive is the first to have done this since the creation of Kwara State in 1967.”

He also extended his heartfelt appreciation to Her Excellency, First Lady of the State, for her moral and financial support, while acknowledging her significant contribution to the development of humanity.

“This championship has become a vital platform for nurturing young talents in table tennis across the state.”

“Our gratitude goes to the sixteen local governments transition implementation committee (TIC) chairmen under ALGON, the commissioner and permanent secretary for local government, the Kwara state Sports Commission chairman, Coach Bola Mogaji, as well as the Director of sports, Ibrahim Bako, for their moral and technical support,” he said.

The tournament, which was themed “Mummy Olufolake Catch Them Young”, took place for 3 days, and had over 60 participants from all the sixteen (16) Local Government.

It was organised by Grassroots Sports Association in conjunction with the Office of the First Lady of Kwara state, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Kwara state chapter and Kwara state sports commission.

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This three-day event will unfold at the NUJ Press Centre, Iwe Iroyin House, Oke Ilewo Abeokuta.

The draws, conducted at the SWAN Secretariat on Wednesday, have unveiled fascinating match-ups, including:

• Paramount FM I vs Associates II
• OGTV I vs Correspondent II
• OGBC I vs Consolidated II
• Federated I vs Consolidated I
• Correspondent I vs Associates I
• OGTV II vs Federated II
• Paramount FM II vs OGBC II

According to the organisers, each SWAN chapel is tasked with presenting two players for the competition.

The grand finale, slated for Wednesday, November 29, 2023, is expected to be graced by the presence of Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, alongside the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Wasiu Isiaka, and other distinguished dignitaries, promising a captivating blend of athletic prowess and camaraderie among Ogun SWAN members.

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The global sporting award, first held in 2000, honours the greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year and showcases the work of Laureus Sport for Good.

Shortlists for seven categories (Sportswoman, Sportsman, Team, Breakthrough, Comeback, Action and Sport for Good) are created by votes from more than 1,000 sports media from over 70 countries while the shortlist for World Athlete of the Year with a Disability is provided by the International Paralympic Committee.

Broadcast around the world, the Awards also provides a global platform for supporting Laureus Sport for Good, by showcasing the incredible work done to transform young lives around the world.

While Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina, Rafael Nadal, who ended 2022 alone at the top of the all-time list of men’s Grand Slam champions headlines the nomination list for the 24th edition, it includes Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, Morocco men’s national football team, Kenya‘s Boxgirls and South Africa‘s Made For More.

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

The race for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award includes two athletes who lit up the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who became a five-time champion over 100m and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who added the world title to her Olympic crown with an unforgettable world record in the 400m hurdles.

At the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Katie Ledecky won four golds, taking her total to 22, a record for a female swimmer.

Alexia Putellas led FC Barcelona to a perfect season in the Spanish league and claimed a second Ballon d’Or.

Mikaela Shiffrin regained her overall title at the Alpine Ski World Cup and closed in on the all-time record for wins, while Iga Świątek emerged from 2022 as the undisputed No.1 in women’s tennis, winning the French Open and US Open.

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

The nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award spent 2022 climbing to the very pinnacle of their sport.

Lionel Messi collected the one prize that had eluded him by leading Argentina to the World Cup.

Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick in the final earned him the Golden Boot as the World Cup’s leading goalscorer.

Rafael Nadal ended 2022 alone at the top of the all-time list of men’s Grand Slam champions with 22 titles after victory in Australian Open and French Open.

Max Verstappen joins Messi and Nadal as past winners of this Award on the 2023 shortlist after defending his Formula One world title.

Mondo Duplantis broke the pole vault world record on three occasions and won world titles indoors and out while Steph Curry also made the cut for leading the Golden State Warriors to a fourth NBA championship in eight years.

Earlier on Tuesday, Nadal said Messi’s World Cup heroics should see him win the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.

“An honour to be nominated again to the Laureus Sportsman of the Year…but…this year…come on Lionel Messi you deserve it,” wrote Nadal on his Instagram story. 

Even Nadal thinks Messi deserves to win sportsman of the year pic.twitter.com/MIsPFZk4y0

— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 21, 2023

TEAM OF THE YEAR

The Nominees for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award include both serial winners and ground-breakers.

The Argentina Men’s Football Team won a third World Cup, but the first in a generation led by Lionel Messi.

No team has won the Champions League more than Real Madrid, who claimed their 14th title to go with another Spanish La Liga crown.

The Golden State Warriors’ fourth NBA championship in eight years ensured their legacy will last forever.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing ended the eight-year reign of Mercedes with a Max Verstappen-led victory in the Constructors’ Championship.

The France Men’s Rugby Team had not won the Six Nations Championship since the Grand Slam of 2010 – and they repeated that feat to reclaim the crown in style.

And there were no more dramatic winners than the England Women’s Football Team, who on home soil fulfilled their promise to become champions of Europe.

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

The Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award identifies those athletes and teams who took a giant step forward in the past year.

For some, one big win lit up their name; for others, sustained excellence made for a changing of the guard at the top of their sport. 

Two meteoric tennis talents are among the nominees: Carlos Alcaraz gave a preview of the next era in the men’s game, winning the US Open to end the year as the sport’s youngest-ever No.1-ranked player while Elena Rybakina won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in the women’s game.

Scottie Scheffler won The Masters and tied for second at the US Open on his way to becoming golf‘s No.1 while fellow American, Nathan Chen joined him on the list after adding Olympic gold to his world title.

Also nominated are the Morocco Men’s Football Team who captivated the world on their adventure to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

The heroics in Qatar also earned the Atlas Lions the title of ‘Mover of the Year’ by FIFA having won more points (142) in the football world’s governing body ranking than any other team since the end of 2021.

Tobi Amusan, who broke the 100m hurdles world record on the way to claiming Nigeria’s first-ever gold medal at the World Athletics Championships is the second female on the breakthrough list.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

Tiger Woods’ return at Augusta, 14 months after a car crash that crushed one of his feet leads the nominations for Laureus World Comeback of the Year.

Klay Thompson missed two entire seasons through injuries before returning to win his fourth NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors.

At the World Athletics Championships, there was no upset greater than Jake Wightman’s defeat of Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1500m final and Norway’s 21-year-old track superstar responded with gold in the 5,000m a few days later.

Francesco Bagnaia won his first MotoGP title from a seemingly impossible position – he trailed by 91 points in mid-season.

Annemiek van Vleuten started the Tour de France Femmes fighting illness and slumping to the back of the field, before fighting through the ranks to win it all.

Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match for Denmark. In February 2022, he returned to the field in the Premier League for Brentford and later Manchester United.  

ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR

Three surfers are nominated for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award, the province of sport’s daredevils, high-flyers and risk-takers.

Filipe Toledo of Brazil was world champion for the first time but for Stephanie Gilmore, a previous winner of this Award, it was world championship No.8, while big-wave specialist Justine Dupont continued to thrill in that most daring of disciplines.

At the Beijing Winter Olympics, freestyle skier Eileen Gu won two gold medals – in big air and halfpipe – while snowboarder Chloe Kim defended the halfpipe gold she had won as a teenager in 2018.

Skateboarder Rayssa Leal was still only 14 as she won Street gold at both the Summer X Games and the World Championships.  

SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY

Diede de Groot completed back-to-back calendar Grand Slams to set a new standard in wheelchair tennis and earn her place among the nominees for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.

Catherine Debrunner broke world records in T53 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m on her home track in Switzerland, then moved up to marathon, winning on her debut in Berlin, and in London.

After a break of over two years from competitive swimming, New Zealand’s Cameron Leslie – who also competes in wheelchair rugby as a Wheel Black – won S4 100m freestyle gold at the World Para Swimming Championships.

At the Winter Paralympics in China, Declan Farmer led USA to a third consecutive gold medal in Ice Hockey and was the tournament’s top scorer; Jesper Saltvik Pedersen won four golds on the slopes; and the multi-sport phenomenon Oksana Masters added another chapter to her legend with double gold in the para biathlon.

SPORT FOR GOOD

Five inspirational programmes have also been shortlisted for the Laureus Sport for Good Award, given each year to an individual or organisation who, in the opinion of the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, has made a significant contribution to transforming the lives of children and young people through sport.

This year these include a programme that uses boxing to challenge stereotypes and empower young women in Kenya (Boxgirls), a football project aimed at educating and elevating the homeless population in India (Slum Soccer), a programme whose mission is to make sport inclusive for people with disabilities in South Africa (Made For More).

Movement-based psychosocial support intervention developed by War Child, Save the Children and UNICEF the Netherlands, that uses physical activity to relieve stress in children affected by war or conflict, and which is particularly active supporting refugees from Ukraine in surrounding host nations (TeamUp); and a project in Germany that uses action sports to help orphaned and migrant children integrate into new communities (High Five) completes the category.

VOTING PROCEDURES

The Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique group of 71 sporting legends including Olympic champions, world record holders, athletes who changed the game, and the ultimate jury on sporting greatness votes for the winners in each shortlisted category.

The Academy also has the ability to grant discretionary awards, such as the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.

A global public vote determines the winner of the Laureus Sporting Moment of the Year award, which honours one inspiring story that encapsulates the power of sport inspire and bring people together. 

All winners receives the unique Laureus Statuette specially crafted by Cartier with its representation of the striving human form.

The statuettes are 30cms high and weigh 2.5kgs. Each figure contains 670g of solid silver with a 650g gold finish base.

AFRICANS AT THE LAURELS AWARD

The Laureus World Sports Awards is no stranger to African athletes, Kenyan long-distance runner, Vivian Cheruiyot became the first athlete from the continent to win the prestigious award for Sportswoman of the Year in 2012.

Cheruiyot won after she claimed gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters finals at the 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu.

Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba also achieved the feat in 2015 when she was rewarded for her 2014 season in which she set world indoor records for 1500m and 3000m as well as a world indoor best for two miles.

Despite losing the Sportsman of the Year to Novak Djokovic in 2019, Eliud Kipchoge took the Exceptional Achievement Award after taking 78 seconds off the world marathon record with his victory in Berlin.

Kipchoge earned nomination for the Sportsman of the Year again in 2020, this time losing to joint-winners Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi and also lost the 2022 award to Max Verstappen in the same category.

South Africans have also seen success at the Laureus Award, with Ernst van Dyk, Natalie du Toit and Oscar Pistorius winning Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability in 2006, 2010 and 2012 respectively.

The country’s rugby union team has won award for Team of the Year twice.

The Springboks’ first award came in 2008 after winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup while they won the second award in 2020 when they saw off competitions from Liverpool FC, Mercedes Formula One team, Spain men’s basketball team, Toronto Raptors, and the United States Women’s football team for winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2019 Rugby Championship.

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