Nigeria’s leading table tennis player, Aruna Quadri has been listed as the number 86 qualifier for this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, following confirmation of his spot by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
Quadri, who will be making his third appearance at the Games, after featuring at London 2012 and Rio 2016, will now look up to Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) to formally forward his clearance on or before June 16, to indicate approval from the national body for his participation.
Megasportsarena.com gathered that this comes after ITTF’s competition director, Gabor Felegyi announced Quadri’s qualification in a letter addressed to the NOC’s president and copied the president of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).
The leading ping-pong player, who is the first African in Olympics history to make it to the quarter-finals of the table tennis singles event, will in July join 85 other players from across the world to compete at the tables in Tokyo.
However, only 64 players have so far been confirmed for the men’s singles event while the remaining six slots are expected to be allocated as wildcards.
Quadri will join three of his compatriots, Olajide Omotayo, Olufunke Oshonaike and Edem Offiong to compete for Nigeria in the singles’ events.
He will enter the contest on the back of his feats at Rio 2016, where he stunned the world with his performance as the first African to reach the quarter-finals after edging out some of the best players in the world.
Among them were former world number one Timo Boll of Germany, but the Nigerian ace later lost to eventual winner Ma Long of China in the quarter-final.
NTTF’s caretaker committee chairman, Ishaku Tikon was happy with the development and boasted that he has been proved right in his earlier prediction about the expected confirmation by the ITTF.
Tikon added: “The exploits of Aruna in the last two years were enough to secure a place for him in Tokyo.
“When Aruna got injured during the African Qualifying Tournament in Tunis last year, I told the world that he will make it to Tokyo as he is ranked among the top 10 in the Olympic ranking.
“In spite of the setback in Tunisia, Aruna did not relent in his performance and for me I am so excited as a Nigerian because his qualification will surely motivate others to look up to him and aim for the best in Tokyo.”
