The president of International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa, Waheed Enitan Oshodi has revealed plans he and other members of the continental body have put in place to ensure the discovery of new talents in the ping pong sport.
Sports247 reports that Oshodi, who held several top sports positions in Nigeria before ascending to the continental level, pointed out that his pledge during the period of campaign had all along been hinged on finding new talents to take over from the current array of African table tennis stars.
Read Also: Super Falcons’ WAFCON Triumph Draws High Praise from Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun
Waheed Enitan Oshodi added, “We don’t want there to be a big gap between the current generation and the next set. People like Aruna Quadri and Omar Saleh have done their best for Africa so far.
“They’ve made Africa proud, and it’s now time for us to look inwards; then make sure the next generation can also play at that level too.”
While using reference points from the 2025 WTT Contender in Lagos and African Youth Table Tennis Championship that began at same venue on Sunday, Oshodi expressed satisfaction with the progress being made under his tenure.
The smooth-talking sports administrator declared further, “What we looked at in our manifesto was to bring up these players at a younger age. I’ve always said that’s the only way to catch up with the Chinese and the Europesns.
“We’re doing that now. So, these players from under-12 have had a fantastic week in training camp, and we’ve seen them playing in the youth championship.”
He concluded by pointing at specific examples of giant strides being achieved by the Nigerian and African table tennis sanctioning bodies, especially regarding grooming ping pong stars of the future.
“We saw young ones like Emam Etim playing in the WTT Contender and holding his own against some of the best players in the world. This is the only way we can develop them.
“More competitions, not just training camps. They have to play in front of crowds. What better attention could there be in the whole world than the Lagos crowd. So, it’s a good development for many of them,” Oshodi assured.
