Participating teams in the table tennis competition at the 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF), tagged Gateway Games 2024, will battle for a total of 46 gold medals as the tournament heats up in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The event features athletes across three categories: able-bodied, para-athletes, and deaf athletes. Of the total gold medals available, 34 are allocated to para-athletes, seven to able-bodied players, and five to deaf athletes, covering singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team events.
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Breakdown of events across categories
In the able-bodied category, athletes will compete in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, mixed doubles, and men’s and women’s team events.
For the deaf category, contests will be held in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
The para-athlete category will be the most competitive, with four team events (men’s classes 1–5 and 6–10; women’s classes 1–5 and 6–10), 18 singles events, eight doubles events, and four mixed doubles events.
Delta, Bayelsa, Lagos Dominate Seedings
Delta State leads the seedings in both able-bodied and para-athlete divisions. Star player Fatimo Bello of Delta is the top seed in the women’s singles.
Olajide Omotayo, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist representing Bayelsa State, heads the men’s singles list. Lagos and Oyo States dominate the top seedings in the deaf category.
Tournament referee: Expect world-class sction
Speaking about the tournament, tournament referee Lajide Ranti said the inclusion of Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) by the National Sports Commission (NSC) has added depth and competitiveness to this year’s edition.
“We are going to witness top-class table tennis, especially from players who recently featured in the ITTF World Championships in Doha, Qatar,” Ranti said.
Impressive turnout and talent discovery hopes
Ranti added that turnout from traditionally less-represented states has been impressive, offering hope that new talents will emerge.
“Beyond the medals, I believe the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) will discover promising talents for future development,” he concluded.
